Overall, our results show that Kindlin-1 contributes functionally to early pulmonary metastasis of breast cancer.<b>Significance:</b> These findings provide a mechanistic proof in mice that Kindin-1, an integrin-binding adaptor protein, is a critical mediator of early lung metastasis of breast cancer.<i></i>.
Kindlin-1 expression was associated with metastasis-free survival in both breast and lung adenocarcinoma (breast cancer: hazard ratio of lung metastasis = 2.55, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.39 to 4.69, P = .001; lung cancer: hazard ratio of metastasis = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.25 to 3.07, P = .001).