The Clinical Relevance of the Expression of SGLT2 in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Purpose: We aimed to elucidate the functions and clinical relevance of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) in resected lung adenocarcinoma. Methods: The protein expression of SGLT2 in tumor samples from 199 patients with lung adenocarcinoma was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, and the protein expression, clinical variables, and survival outcomes were compared. Results: The median SGLT2 expression was significantly higher in advanced-stage and more aggressive adenocarcinomas. Age ≥70 (p < 0.01), BI ≥600 (p < 0.01), PRDX4 <25 (p < 0.01), and SGLT2 ≥12% (p = 0.03) were significant factors for RFS in multivariate analysis. Significant differences were observed in the RFS rates of the groups divided using the cutoff value of SGLT2 ≥12% (5-year RFS: 72.6% vs. 90%) (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The expression of SGLT2 was more frequently detected in advanced-stage and more aggressive adenocarcinomas with aggressive biological behavior than in their counterparts. The survival analysis revealed that the strong expression of SGLT2 was associated with poorer RFS. The SGLT2 expression predicts postoperative recurrence in lung adenocarcinoma patients.