Decoy Receptor 3 Expression Is Associated With Wild-Type EGFR Status, Poor Differentiation of Tumor, and Unfavorable Patient Outcome.

Abstract

The role of decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) in lung cancer, particularly adenocarcinoma, has not been well studied. In this study, we aim to investigate the expression profile and the clinicopathologic implications of DcR3 expression in lung adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine DcR3 expression in 461 lung adenocarcinomas. The differences in DcR3 expression among the various histopathologic patterns were analyzed. The relationship between DcR3 expression and clinicopathologic parameters, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, was also investigated. DcR3 expression was more frequently expressed in solid, micropapillary, and acinar patterns (P < .0001) and in tumors with wild-type EGFR status (P = .018). In addition, DcR3 expression portends a less favorable disease-free survival in stage I patients (P = .012). The expression of DcR3 might be involved in the differentiation and progression of lung adenocarcinoma. Therefore, DcR3 may be applied clinically for prediction of tumor progression in stage I lung adenocarcinoma.