Objective: To investigate the protein expression of visfatin and its gene polymorphism in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods: The plasma level of visfatin was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the genotypes rs59744560, rs9770242, and rs61330082 in the visfatin gene were detected by gene sequencing. Result: This study revealed that plasma levels of visfatin in NSCLC patients were significantly higher than the levels in healthy people (p < 0.01). The high level of plasma visfatin was found to be significantly correlated with TNM stage (p < 0.05). No mutations were detected in rs59744560 and rs9770242 loci. Three genotypes (CC, CT, and TT) were detected in rs61330082 locus, and the differences in the frequency distribution of these genotypes were significant in the two groups (p < 0.05). Central obesity and the CC genotype were independent risk factors in the pathogenesis of NSCLC (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The plasma visfatin level in NSCLC patients significantly increased, and high plasma visfatin levels were correlated with tumor stage. Gene polymorphism was found in the visfatin gene rs61330082 locus. The CC genotype might increase the risk for patients suffering from NSCLC, while the CT genotype, TT genotype, and T allele may reduce the risk of NSCLC. The rs61330082 locus can be used as genetic markers of high-risk populations.
Keywords: NSCLC; gene polymorphism; visfatin.