Importance of TAK-1 levels in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma

In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between survival, tumor dimension, grade and stage in respect to transforming growth factor-β-activating kinase (TAK-1) extensity, severity and total score in patients undergoing resection for Stage 1B-2B non-small cell lung cancer.

Between January 2000 and December 2014, a total of 70 patients (64 males, 6 females; mean age: 63.4+9.6 years; range, 32 to 78 years) who underwent surgery with resectable non-small cell lung cancer in Stage 1-2b were included. The patients were divided into two groups as Group 1 (n=35) consisting of patients with squamous cell carcinoma and Group 2 (n=35) consisting of patients with adenocarcinoma. The control group consisted of 20 patients (Group 3) who underwent surgery due to non-cancer causes. The relationship between TAK-1 staining (extensity, severity, total scores) and grade, survival time, T factor, N factor, and chemotherapy administration was examined. Pathology specimens of the patients were evaluated for the degree of staining with TAK-1 primary antibody.

There was a strong correlation between the tumor grade and TAK-1 primary antibody staining level, independently from histopathological type. A significant correlation was found between dimension, stage, and TAK-1 staining in patients with squamous cell carcinoma. No statistically significant difference was found in the other factors, except for grade factor, in patients with adenocarcinoma.

The current study provides precious information about the effects of TAK-1, in clinicopathological behavior and survival of malignant cells, particularly in common histopathological types of lung cancer. We believe that our data can be useful, particularly in evaluating the response to targeted therapies and the prognosis of the disease.