Expression of PTEN and its role in lung cancerous and precancerous lesions

Objective:To investigate the role of phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) expression in genesis and progress of lung cancer. Methods:The expression of PTEN was detected by immunohischemistry and tissue microarray technology. The total samples included 89 cases of primary lung cancer,12 cases of metastatic cancer from lymph node,10 cases of precancerous lesion, and 10 cases of normal lung tissue. Results:The positive rate of PTEN in primary lung cancer was 44.9%, which was significantly lower than that of normal lung tissue(90.0%)( P 0.05). The expression of PTEN was associated with the differentiation degrees, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stages of lung cancer ( P 0.05). Conclusion:The positive rate of PTEN expression in lung cancer was down-regulated and it was related to the progress of lung cancer. PTEN gene inactivation may promote lung cancer genesis and development which may contribute to poor prognosis.