Loss of DBC2 expression is an early and progressive event in the development of lung adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE DBC2 (Deleted in Breast Cancer 2) has been indicated to be a tumor suppressor gene in many cancers including lung adenocarcinoma recently. In this study, we aimed to explore the expression status of DBC2 in different subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma (from pre-invasive to invasive lesions), and to determine if downregulation becomes more marked with pathological progression. METHODS We collected 172 tissue samples from different subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma and investigated the frequency of DBC2 loss by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Our results indicated that DBC2 downregulation is a relatively frequent event in lung adenocarcinoma. Moreover, as the adenocarcinoma subtype turns to be more invasive, more downregulation occurred. CONCLUSION We conclude that loss of DBC2 expression is an early and progressive event in the pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma. Positive DBC2 immunohistochemistry may become an indicator for early stage disease and better prognosis of lung adenocarcinomas.