Expression of Estrogen Receptor β in Human Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Its Correlation with Expression of Ki-67 and Bax

Objective：To explore the role ERβ in cell proliferation and apoptosis and investigate the expression of ERβ in NSCLC and its correlation with the expression of ki-67 and Bax. Methods：The expression of ERβ, Ki-67 and Bax in 49 specimens from patients with lung cancer and 14 specimens from patients with benign lung diseases was investigated by immunohistochemistry. The correlation between ERβ and Ki-67, Bax was analyzed. Results：The positive ratio of ERβ expression in NSCLC was 36.7%, whereas no clear staining was found in benign lung tissues (P=0.019). The expression of Ki-67 in ERβ positive group was significantly higher than that in ERβ negative group of NSCLC(P=0.004). There was no significant difference between the expression of Bax in ERβ positive group and ERβ negative group (P=0.442). Conclusion：ERβ is overexpressed in NSCLC and has a positive correlation with cell proliferation-associated protein Ki-67.ERβ may promote the proliferation of NSCLC.