Prognostic Relevance of Surface α-Enolase (ENO1) in Patients With Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Background/Aim: α-Enolase (ENO1) is a glycolytic enzyme that also functions as a plasminogen receptor when translocated to the cell surface, where it promotes extracellular matrix degradation and invasion. The surface and cytosolic functions of ENO1 is therefore distinct, but whether they differ in prognostic value in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is unknown. This study evaluated the prognostic value of surface and cytosolic ENO1 in LUAD. Patients and Methods: Surface and cytosolic ENO1 were assessed by immunohistochemistry in 174 LUAD patients and stratified as low or high according to the median H-score. The relationship between ENO1 expression and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed, and 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated. Results: =0.047). In univariate analysis, high surface ENO1 was associated with an increased risk of 5-year OS [hazard ratio (HR)=1.94, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.02-3.71] and 5-year PFS (HR=1.62, 95%CI=1.00-2.63). In contrast, cytosolic ENO1 was not associated with any clinicopathological parameter or survival outcome. Conclusion: Surface, but not cytosolic, ENO1 is associated with adverse pathological features and poor survival in LUAD. These results suggest that the surface pool is the prognostically relevant fraction of ENO1 and support its evaluation as a biomarker and therapeutic target in LUAD.