Overexpression of eukaryotic elongation factor 1 alpha-2 is associated with poorer prognosis in patients with gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: Eukaryotic elongation factor 1 alpha-2 (eEF1A2) is a protein translation factor involved in protein synthesis. It is overexpressed in various cancers, which indicates potential vital functions in tumorigenesis and progression. Our study aims to investigate the expression levels of eEF1A2 in gastric cancer and its roles in clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 129 patients with pathologically confirmed gastric cancer and 24 normal controls were recruited for this study. The expression levels of eEF1A2 in gastric cancer and normal tissues were evaluated by tissue microarrays, quantitative real-time PCR, and western blot analysis. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox's proportional hazards model were used in survival analysis. RESULTS: Compared with corresponding controls, gastric cancer specimens had significantly increased expressions of eEF1A2 at mRNA and protein levels (both P < 0.05). Moreover, multivariate analysis confirmed that overexpression of eEF1A2 was a significant and independent indicator for predicting poor prognosis of gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed for the first time that overexpression of eEF1A2 was correlated with worse outcomes in gastric cancer patients, suggesting its critical roles in the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer.