Abstract
BACKGROUND: The mechanism of 4.1 family in human cancer has not been elucidated. In this study we investigate the value as a prognostic factor of mRNA expression of 4.1 family in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A survival analysis was carried out through the Kaplan-Meier plotter (KM plotter) database. KM's method was used to estimate the prognostic value of 4.1 mRNA expression in NSCLC. RESULTS: Expression of four members are linked to overall survival (OS) in NSCLC patients, among which 4.1G, 4.1B, 4.1R are concerned with first progression (FP), and 4.1G, 4.1R are correlated with post progression survival (PPS) besides. Only 4.1B expression is associated with OS in squamous cell carcinoma, as four members with OS in adenocarcinoma. What's more, 4.1G, 4.1N high mRNA are linked to better FP in adenocarcinoma, and 4.1R overexpression is linked to better PPS. The expression of 4.1G is associated with the prognosis in female, whereas 4.1R in male. Furthermore, 4.1G and 4.1B play as protective roles in non-smoking populations, while 4.1N overexpression is related to poorer PPS. All the four family members are associated with early stage in NSCLC 4.1G, 4.1B and 4.1R are closely related to surgical resection, yet 4.1N has no prognostic significance in patients receiving treatments. However, the results need to be verified in clinical trials further. CONCLUSIONS: Our results offer new opinion about the prognostic value of 4.1 protein family in NSCLC, which may contribute to the development of new therapy for NSCLC.