Prognostic value of transglutaminase 2 in non-small cell lung cancer patients

Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) plays important roles in cell survival and cancer progression. In this study, we examined TG2 expression in specimen of 194 patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and found that the TG2 gene expression was significantly higher in lung cancer tissues as compared to paired incisal marginal tissues or normal tissues. Our data revealed that patients with lower level of TG2 expression detected in cancer tissues had longer disease free survival and overall survival as compared to the patients with higher TG2 expression. We also found that TG2 expression level correlated to NSCLC recurrence. These results suggest a potential prognosis impact of TG2 for NSCLC patients.