Background: L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) and ASC amino acid transporter 2 (ASCT2) have been associated with tumor growth and progression. However, the clinical significance of LAT1 and ASCT2 coexpression in the prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma remains unclear.
Methods: In total, 222 patients with surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma were investigated retrospectively. Tumor sections were stained immunohistochemically for LAT1, ASCT2, CD98, phosphorylated mammalian target-of-rapamycin (p-mTOR), and Ki-67, and microvessel density (MVD) was determined by staining for CD34. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status was also examined.
Results: LAT1 and ASCT2 were positively expressed in 22% and 40% of cases, respectively. Coexpression of LAT1 and ASCT2 was observed in 12% of cases and was associated significantly with disease stage, lymphatic permeation, vascular invasion, CD98, Ki-67, and p-mTOR. Only LAT1 and ASCT2 coexpression indicated a poor prognosis for lung adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, this characteristic was recognized in early-stage patients, especially those who had wild-type, rather than mutated, EGFR. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the coexpression of LAT1 and ASCT2 was an independent factor for predicting poor outcome.
Conclusions: LAT1 and ASCT2 coexpression is an independent prognostic factor for patients with lung adenocarcinoma, especially during the early stages, expressing wild-type EGFR.
Keywords: ASCT2; LAT1; Lung adenocarcinoma; coexpression; prognostic factor; wild-type EGFR.