PTK7 expression is associated with lymph node metastasis, ALK and EGFR mutations in lung adenocarcinomas

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Lung adenocarcinoma is the main tumor type of NSCLC. Recent advances in the molecular characterization and personalized therapies have improved NSCLC patient prognosis. Previous studies showed that protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7) plays an important role in human cancers. However, the role of PTK7 has not been investigated. PTK7 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 95 patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Correlations of PTK7 expression levels with clinicopathological parameters, EGFR mutation and EML4-ALK fusion were examined. Positive PTK7 expression was detected in 47.4% of lung adenocarcinoma. PTK7 expression was associated with gender (P=0.024), lymph node metastasis (P<0.001), ALK mutation (P=0.050), and EGFR mutations (P=0.014). No significant association was found between PTK7 expression and age (P=0.831), differentiation (P=0.494), adenocarcinoma subtype (P=0.098) and Ki67 (P=0.473). Our data suggest that PTK7 plays an oncogenic role in lung adenocarcinoma and may be a molecular marker for lymph node metastasis.