Lipoprotein lipase activity and gene expression in lung cancer and in adjacent noncancer lung tissue.

The authors tested the hypothesis that lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene expression and enzyme activity are increased in lung cancer tissue, as compared to adjacent, apparently healthy, lung tissue. Paired samples of lung cancer tissue and adjacent noncancer lung tissue were collected from 42 patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer. LPL activity was higher in cancer tissue (1.9-fold median difference, P < .0001); however, LPL gene expression was higher in noncancer tissue (3.8-fold median difference, P < .0001). The higher LPL activity in lung cancer tissue provides a possible mechanism for increasing the supply of lipid nutrients to the tumor, necessary for tumor growth.