Pirna-651 As A Prognostic Marker In Surgically Resected Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

11043 Background: Piwi-RNAs (piRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (24-32 nt) required to protect the genome in germline cells. Initially they were thought to be expressed only in germline cells, but they have recently been found to be expressed in several tumours. piRNA-651 has been identified as an oncogene in gastric cancer. However, its role in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as well as its potential as a prognostic marker have not yet been examined. Methods: piRNA-651 expression levels were assessed in tumour and paired normal tissue samples from NSCLC patients. piRNA-651 expression was analyzed from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples by real-time PCR and by chromogenic in situ hybridization. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were studied by means of Kaplan-Meier, Log Rank and Cox methods. Results: A total of 70 patients with stage I-III surgically resected NSCLC between March 1996 and June 2007 in a single institution were prospectively registered. The median follow-up of li...