Value of human mitochondrial transcription termination factor 3 and forkhead box protein 3 in predicting the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Objective To explore the prognostic value of human mitochondrial transcription termination factor 3 (hMTERF3) and forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods The clinical data of 88 patients with NSCLC who were admitted to the Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from March 2017 to March 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were diagnosed by pathological puncture. The patients were followed-up by telephone for 12 months, and according to the prognosis, the patients were divided into good prognosis group and poor prognosis group. The pathological tissues were taken from all patients, and the expressions of hMTERF3 and Foxp3 proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry. The expressions of hMTERF3 and Foxp3 in the good prognosis group and the poor prognosis group were compared. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Results Of 88 patients, 61 patients (69.3%) had good prognosis and 27 patients (30.7%) had poor prognosis. The positive expression rate of hMTERF3 in the good prognosis group was 57.4% (35/61), which was significantly lower than that in the poor prognosis group (81.5%, 22/27) (χ 2= 4.766, P= 0.029). The positive expression rate of Foxp3 in the good prognosis group was 55.7% (34/61), which was significantly lower than that in the poor prognosis group (85.2%, 23/27) (χ 2= 7.113, P= 0.008). The proportions of patients with medium and high differentiation or stage Ⅰ- Ⅱ in the good prognosis group were 82.0% (50/61) and 68.8% (42/61), respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the poor prognosis group [48.15% (13/27) and 25.93% (7/27)] (both P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the poor differentiation, stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ, hMTERF3-positive and Foxp3-positive were the risk factors for poor prognosis in NSCLC patients (all P < 0.05). Conclusions The positive expression rates of hMTERF3 and Foxp3 in patients with good prognosis are lower. The hMTERF3-positive and Foxp3-positive are risk factors for poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. Key words: Carcinoma, non-small-cell lung; Mitochondrial proteins; Forkhead transcription factors; Human mitochondrial transcription termination factor 3; Forkhead box protein 3; Prognosis