Abstract
BACKGROUND: Occludin/ELL domain containing 1 (OCEL1) is a novel discovered protein with its molecular functions remaining unknown and its role in lung cancer has not been directly explored. OBJECTIVES: This study focused on the role of OCEL1 in the progression and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A public database and tissue samples (80 NSCLC tissue samples and paired normal lung samples) were used to compare differences in OCEL1 expression and investigate its relationship with clinical characteristics and prognosis. RESULTS: Compared to adjacent normal lung tissue samples, OCEL1 expression was significantly down-regulated in tumor tissues. In addition, there was a negative correlation between OCEL1 and Ki67 expression levels. Low OCEL1 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, higher TNM stage, and poor prognosis. Importantly, multivariate analysis identified OCEL1 expression as an independent predictor for unfavorable NSCLC prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that OCEL1 protein may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker in NSCLC.