SPARC correlates with unfavorable outcome and promotes tumor growth in lung squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) plays a crucial role in the malignant progression of a number of human cancers. However, the roles of SPARC in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remain elusive. In this present study, we first detected SPARC expression and investigated the relationship between SPARC expression and the clinicopathological attributes of LSCC patients. Then we constructed SPARC-overexpression model in LSCC cell line to explore the characteristics of SPARC in LSCC development both in vitro and in vivo. The data demonstrated a remarkably higher level of SPARC in LSCC tissues than in corresponding non-cancerous tissues and elevated SPARC expression was significantly correlated with poor outcome in LSCC patients. Moreover, a serial of phenotypic experiments indicated that SPARC overexpression substantially facilitated the growth and inhibited the apoptosis in LSCC cells and xenografts. Taken together, our results suggest that SPARC is a novel prognostic marker for LSCC prognosis and SPARC significantly promotes LSCC tumorigenesis. Targeting SPARC may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for LSCC management.