Expression and significance of Nrf2 and caspase-3 in non-small cell lung cancer

Objective To study the expression and significance of Nrf2 and caspase-3 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods The specimens from 82 cases of NSCLC in our hospital from September 2015 to December 2017 were selected for observation. All patients were surgically resected to obtain NSCLC specimens. The expression of Nrf2 and caspase-3 in NSCLC was detected by immunohistochemistry and its clinical significance was analyzed. Results The positive expression rate of Nrf2 in NSCLC (63.4%) was significantly higher than that in normal tissue (30.0%), with statistically significant difference (P 0.05). The positive rate of caspase-3 in NSCLC (40.2%) and the positive rate of caspase-3 in normal tissues (40.0%) were not statistically different (P>0.05). Analysis of clinical characteristics showed that the expression of caspase-3 in NSCLC was related to TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and the difference was statistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusions The abnormal expression of Nrf2 and caspase-3 is correlated with the progression of NSCLC and the malignant biological behavior. Active detection of Nrf2 and caspase-3 levels can clinically determine the clinical stage, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis of NSCLC, providing information to facilitate clinical development of relevant interventions. Key words: Carcinoma, non-small-cell lung; NF-E2-related factor 2; Caspase 3; Neoplasm staging