T-box 3 overexpression is associated with poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer

T-box 3 (Tbx3), a member of the T-box transcription factor family, serves a crucial role in embryonic development and cancer progression. Previous studies have demonstrated the clinical significance of Tbx3 in numerous types of cancer. However, the expression level and pathological function of Tbx3 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are unknown. To the best of our knowledge, the present study provided the first evidence demonstrating the clinicopathological significance of Tbx3 in NSCLC. Tbx3 was revealed to be overexpressed in NSCLC cell lines and tissues obtained from patients with NSCLC by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Downregulation of Tbx3 by Tbx3-specific short hairpin RNA decreased cell proliferation in NSCLC cell lines, but there was a slight increase in the cell population of the G₁ phase. Furthermore, depletion of Tbx3 expression significantly decreased the cell migration distance. In addition, overexpression of Tbx3 was notably associated with tumor size, tobacco smoking status, tumor-node-metastasis stage and differentiation. These results demonstrated the importance of Tbx3 in the pathological progression of NSCLC and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC.