High expression of CHRNA1 is associated with reduced survival in early stage lung adenocarcinoma after complete resection

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths around the world, and a high recurrence rate after complete resection is an important issue reducing the cure rate and survival of patients with early stage NSCLC. Several pathologic biomarkers are associated with recurrence in early stage lung cancer after complete resection. Methods: We evaluated the expression and prognostic value of the α1 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (CHRNA1) as well as other pathologic features of tumor tissues resected from patients with stage I adenocarcinoma of the lung. Results: A high ratio (173/185) of CHRNA1 expression (93.5 %) was found in stage I lung adenocarcinoma. In the multivariate survival analysis, tumor necrosis, angiolymphatic invasion, perineural invasion, and CHRNA1 expression were independent poor prognostic factors for both recurrence-free and overall survival (OS). Patients expressing CHRNA1 had worse median recurrence-free survival (60.6 vs. 77.9 months, P = 0.03) and OS (65.1 vs. 77.9 months, P = 0.04) compared with CHRNA1-negative patients. Conclusions: CHRNA1 expression could be directly tested from the tumor after complete resection. In early stage NSCLC, it could be a useful prognostic factor for recurrence and survival.