Lin28B is a novel prognostic marker in gastric adenocarcinoma.

Lin28B, a homologue of Lin28, represses biogenesis of let-7 microRNAs with a role in tumorigenesis and is considered a potential therapeutic target for various human cancers. The aim of the study was to identify the clinical significance of Lin28B in gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). We examined the expression of Lin28B in 97 human gastric cancer samples with 32 samples of non-dysplastic tissues by immunohistochemistry. In the 97 GAC cases, 42 were with high Lin28B expression. The expression levels of Lin28B proteins in GAC were higher than in corresponding adjacent normal tissues (P=0.001). Significant correlations were noted between Lin28B expression and lymph node status (P=0.005), TNM stage (P < 0.001), tumor invasion (P=0.036), and differentiation (P=0.001) of GAC patients. The Kaplan-Meier estimates showed a negative correlation of overall 5-year survival rate with Lin28B expression where higher expression resulted in poorer prognosis in GAC. In univariate analysis, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, serosal invasion, Lin28B expression as well as differentiation grade could predict the prognosis of GAC patients (P=0.002, P < 0.001, P=0.003, P < 0.001, P=0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that the expression level of Lin28B (P < 0.001), TNM stage (P < 0.001) as well as differentiation grade (P < 0.001) were the three potential independent prognostic factors in our study [Hazard ratio (HR)=2.108 and P=0.017, HR=1.994 and P=0.018, HR=1.939 and P=0.046, respectively]. Our findings point to the prognostic role of Lin28B in GAC, and indicate Lin28B as a potential therapeutic target of GAC patients.