Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the value of heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α) in predicting treatment response and progression-free survival (PFS) among patients with lung cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 585 patients with lung cancer treated at Jilin Cancer Hospital between January 2014 and December 2023. Patients were categorized by pretreatment HSP90α levels into high- and low-level groups and by posttreatment changes after four cycles into increasing and decreasing groups. We assessed the association between baseline HSP90α levels and clinical characteristics, its correlation with treatment efficacy and PFS, and its combined predictive ability with classical tumor biomarkers (CEA, NSE, and SCC). RESULTS: High pretreatment HSP90α levels were associated with older age and specific pathological types and served as an independent risk factor for shorter PFS. Patients with low baseline HSP90α levels exhibited a better short-term treatment response and longer PFS than did those with high baseline HSP90α levels. Increasing HSP90α after treatment correlated with an improved response and prolonged PFS. HSP90α levels were positively correlated with CEA, NSE, and SCC levels. Notably, the combination of HSP90α and CEA expression significantly enhanced PFS prediction in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: HSP90α is a significant predictive biomarker for treatment efficacy and prognosis in lung cancer patients, particularly when it is combined with traditional markers such as CEA.