IGF-1R and Bmi-1 expressions in lung adenocarcinoma and their clinicopathologic and prognostic significance

IGF-1R and Bmi-1 play a critical role in cancer growth and survival. We explored the correlation between IGF-1R and Bmi-1, as well as their relationship with clinicopathological parameters and their impacts on outcomes in patients with lung adenocarcinoma resected. Tumors from 178 surgical lung adenocarcinoma patients were evaluated for IGF-1R and Bmi-1 expression by means of immunohistochemistry. The clinicopathological implications of these molecules were analyzed statistically. There was a significant correlation between the expression of IGF-1R and Bmi-1 (p = 0.011). The 5-year survival rate of patients with Bmi-1 positive was only 31.2 %, but patients with Bmi-1 negative had a survival rate of 50.7 % (p = 0.004). The pattern of survival curves showed that Bmi-1 was a significant prognostic factor of poor overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma patients. However, there was no obvious correlation between IGF-1R expression and patient survival. The results of multivariate Cox analysis revealed that the pathological stages and Bmi-1 expression were independent prognostic factors. Therefore, Bmi-1 may be a good biomarker to predict the prognosis of patients with completely resected lung adenocarcinoma.