Over-expression of ROR2 and Wnt5a cooperatively correlates with unfavorable prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

We investigated the expression of receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor (ROR) 2 and Wnt5a and their prognostic significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Tissue microarray-based immunohistochemical analysis was performed to determine the expression of ROR2 and Wnt5a in 219 patients. mRNA expression of ROR2 and Wnt5a was examined in 20 pairs of NSCLC and matched adjacent normal tissues by real-time PCR. Compared with non-tumorous tissues, both mRNA expression and protein product of ROR2 and Wnt5a genes were significantly increased in NSCLC. c(2) analysis revealed that high ROR2 or Wnt5a expression in NSCLC was significantly associated with advanced TNM stage. High expression of both ROR2 and Wnt5a was also related to advanced TNM stage. Multivariate analyses suggested that ROR2, Wnt5a and TNM stage were independent prognostic factors in NSCLC. Our clinical findings suggest that high ROR2 or Wnt5a expression is associated with poor prognosis in NSCLC, and combined detection of ROR2 and Wnt5a is helpful in predicting the prognosis of NSCLC.