The effects of sonic hedgehog signaling pathway components on non-small-cell lung cancer progression and clinical outcome

Background Researchers in recent studies have reported that the sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway plays a crucial role during tumorigenesis, angiogenesis and cellular differentiation. We investigated the clinical and pathological significances of the Shh pathway and of its lymphangiogenic components in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), namely, Shh, glioma-associated oncogene homolog zinc finger protein 1 (Gli1), lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1 (LYVE-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor D (VEGF-D).