Loss of DBC2 Expression is an Early and Progressive Event in the Development of Lung Adenocarcinoma

Purpose: DBC2 (Deleted in Breast Cancer 2) has been indicated to be a tumor suppressor gene in manycancers including lung adenocarcinoma recently. In this study, we aimed to explore the expression status ofDBC2 in different subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma (from pre-invasive to invasive lesions), and to determineif downregulation becomes more marked with pathological progression.
Methods: We collected 172 tissuesamples from different subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma and investigated the frequency of DBC2 loss byimmunohistochemistry.
Results: Our results indicated that DBC2 downregulation is a relatively frequentevent in lung adenocarcinoma. Moreover, as the adenocarcinoma subtype turns to be more invasive, moredownregulation occurred.
Conclusion: We conclude that loss of DBC2 expression is an early and progressive eventin the pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma. Positive DBC2 immunohistochemistry may become an indicatorfor early stage disease and better prognosis of lung adenocarcinomas.