Expression of Toll-like receptor 9 and nuclear factor-kappa B in non-small cell lung cancer and its clinical significance

Objective To investigate the expression of Toll-like receptor 9(TLR9) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in human normal lung tissues and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues, and to explore their clinical significance. Methods The immunohistochemical SP method was used to examine the protein expressions of TLR9 and NF-κB in 49 cases of NSCLC and 20 cases of paracancerous normal lung tissues. Their correlations with pathological grades,clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis of NSCLC were statistically analyzed. Results The positive rates of TLR9 and NF-κB protein in NSCLC tissues were significantly higher than normal control (85.7% vs 20% and 69.4% vs 10%,P 0.05). The expression of TLR9 was positively correlated with the expression of NF-κB(P 0.05). The expression of NF-κB in adenocarcinoma was stronger than those in squamous cell carcinoma(P 0.05). Conclusions TLR9 and NF-κB may play an important role in the progression and development of NSCLC.