• Ruixue Yang, Yuanqun Liu, Yufei Wang, Xiaolin Wang, Hongfei Ci, Chao Song, and Shiwu Wu.
• Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Jan 29; 100 (4): e24472e24472.

BackgroundPaired related homeobox 1 (PRRX1) and zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) have been observed to play a vital role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in different types of cancer. The microvessel density (MVD) is the most common indicator used to quantify angiogenesis. This study aimed to investigate expression of PRRX1 and ZEB1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to explore associations between these factors and tumor prognosis, EMT markers and angiogenesis.MethodsData for a total of 111 surgically resected NSCLC cases from January 2013 to December 2014 were collected. We used an immunohistochemical method to detect expression levels of PRRX1, ZEB1, and E-cadherin, and to assess MVD (marked by CD34 staining). SPSS 26.0 was employed to evaluate the connection between these factors and clinical and histopathological features, overall survival (OS) and tumor angiogenesis.ResultsPRRX1 expression was obviously lower in tumor samples than in control samples. Low expression of PRRX1, which was more common in the high-MVD group than in the low-MVD group (P = .009), correlated positively with E-cadherin expression (P < .001). Additionally, we showed that ZEB1 was expressed at higher levels in tumor samples than in normal samples. High expression of ZEB1 was associated negatively with E-cadherin expression (P < .001) and positively associated with high MVD (P = .001). Based on Kaplan-Meier and multivariate survival analyses, we found that PRRX1, ZEB1, E-cadherin and the MVD had predictive value for OS in NSCLC patients.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that PRRX1 and ZEB1 may serve as novel prognostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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