Supplementary Material for: Expression of Fucosyltransferase 8 Is Associated with an Unfavorable Clinical Outcome in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers

Objecitive: Fucosyltransferase 8 (FUT8), the only
enzyme responsible for the core α1,6-fucosylation of asparagine-linked
oligosaccharides of glycoproteins, is a vital enzyme in cancer
development and progression. We examined FUT8 expression in non-small
cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) to analyze its clinical significance. We also
examined the expression of guanosine
diphosphate-mannose-4,6-dehydratase (GMD), which is imperative for the
synthesis of fucosylated oligosaccharides. Methods: Using
immunohistochemistry, we evaluated the expression of FUT8 and GMD in
relation to patient survival and prognosis in potentially curatively
resected NSCLCs. Results: High expression of FUT8 was
found in 67 of 129 NSCLCs (51.9%) and was significantly found in
non-squamous cell carcinomas (p = 0.008). High expression of FUT8 was
associated with poor survival (p = 0.03) and was also a significant and
independent unfavorable prognostic factor in patients with potentially
curatively resected NSCLCs (p = 0.047). High expression of GMD was
significantly associated with high FUT8 expression (p = 0.04). Conclusions:
High expression of FUT8 is associated with an unfavorable clinical
outcome in patients with potentially curatively resected NSCLCs,
suggesting that FUT8 can be a prognostic factor. The analysis of FUT8
expression and its core fucosylated products may provide new insights
for the therapeutic targets of NSCLCs.