The purpose of this study was to better define the role of osteopontin (OPN) and osteonectin [also known as secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC)] in lung tumorigenesis by comparing the expressions of these genes in lung tumor tissue and matched normal tissue and by determining the prognostic significance of the gene expressions.
These findings suggest that OPN levels in lung tumors have the potential to provide clinically important predictive information on patient outcome, and that OPN may play a role in the biology of lung cancer.