Journal Thoracic Oncology

Abstracts Journal of Thoracic Oncology • Volume 12 Issue S1 January 2017
Background: The youthful lung cancer may constitute an entity with distinct
clinicopathologic characteristics. The serine/threonine kinase LKB1, also
known as Serine/Threonine Kinase 11-STK11, is a known tumor suppressor
gene involved in cellular responses such as energy metabolism, cell polarity
and cell growth, but the role of LKB1 pathway in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) is
barely studied, especially in young patients. Methods: Fifty lung ADC patients
were retrospectively analysed. After RNA purification from formalin fixed
and paraffin embedded tumor tissues, we analysed the mRNA expression
levels of LKB1 and of genes involved in its pathway, such as cyclin D1 (CCND1),
beta catenin (CCNNB1), lysyl oxidase (LOX), yes-associated protein-1 (YAP-1),
and survivin, with NanoString technology, a new tool for a more accurate
expression profiling. KRAS mutations were investigated by pyrosequencing
analysis. Clinicopathologic characteristics and survival analysis were
available for all patients. Results: Patients under 50 years old (including 50)
were defined as the younger group and patients above 50 years old were
defined as the older group. Among all the clinicopathologic characteristics,
in the younger group there were more women, less solid and more acinar
adenocarcinoma prevalent pattern in comparison to the older group. Younger
and older groups showed similar survival rates, as well as KRAS mutations
frequencies. Also, in the comparison between the gene expression level of the
analyzed genes and the two different age subgroups,no statistical difference
was found. We then focused on the LKB1 pathway in all series, independently
from the age stratification, founding LKB1 low expression associated with
low cyclin D1 (CCND1) (p