Abstract
PURPOSE: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The mechanisms underlying NSCLC initiation and progression require further investigation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of ADP ribosylation factor-like GTPase 14 (ARL14) related to the progression of NSCLC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed the correlation between clinical characteristics and ARL14 expression using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted to evaluate the prognostic value of ARL14 in NSCLC. Functions of ARL14 were identified by enrichment analysis. The relationship between ARL14 expression and immune cell infiltration was also studied. Furthermore, ARL14 expression was examined using immunohistochemistry, and its clinical significance was analyzed in 120 patients with NSCLC. RESULTS: Our study revealed that the expression level of ARL14 in patients with NSCLC was higher than that in normal tissues. Using TCGA data, higher ARL14 expression in lung adenocarcinoma was associated with residual tumor (P = 0.017), while it was associated with age (P = 0.003) and N stage (P = 0.009) in lung squamous cell carcinoma. Similar results were obtained from 120 patients with NSCLC. High ARL14 expression was associated with poor overall survival and progression-free survival in NSCLC. Multivariate analysis revealed that ARL14 was an independent risk factor for patients with NSCLC. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that ARL14 was related to the occurrence and development of tumors. CONCLUSION: Increased ARL14 expression was considerably correlated with poor survival in NSCLC, and it might be a promising prognostic biomarker for NSCLC.