Distinct Prognostic Values of the mRNA Expression of Glucose Transporters in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Glucose is the major source of energy for cells. Facilitative glucose transporters (GLUTs) mediate the transport of glucose into cells. The GLUT family has 14 members that are expressed in different tissues of the body and play essential roles in sustaining the energy demand. However, the prognostic value of the majority of GLUTs in lung cancer remains elusive and should be further evaluated in clinical studies. Thus, we investigated the prognostic data of GLUTs in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) patients through the Kaplan-Meier (KM) plotter database. In the current study, we found that 12 members of the GLUTs family were significantly associated with prognosis of LUAD patients, but GLUT8 was not. High expression levels of GLUT10, GLUT12, and GLUT13 were significantly associated with better overall survival (OS) in LUAD, while the other 9 members were associated with worse OS. However, GLUT family members were not correlated with OS in LUSC, although high mRNA expression level of GLUT1 tend to show an inferior OS (P=0.057). The prognostic value of GLUTs according to smoking status was also assessed. In conclusion, our study provides new insights into the prognostic values of GLUT members in LUAD, but the molecular mechanisms by which GLUTs contribute to disease aggression and the different functional roles of GLUT members need further study.