OBJECTIVES: Despite the well-defined histological types of non-small cell lung 
cancer (NSCLC), a given stage is often associated with wide-ranging survival 
rates and treatment outcomes. This disparity has led to an increased demand for 
the discovery and identification of new informative biomarkers.
METHODS: In the current study, we screened 81 NSCLC samples using Illumina 
whole-genome gene expression microarrays in an effort to identify differentially 
expressed genes and new NSCLC biomarkers.
RESULTS: We identified novel genes whose expression was upregulated in NSCLC, 
including SPAG5, POLH, KIF23, and RAD54L, which are associated with mitotic 
spindle formation, DNA repair, chromosome segregation, and dsDNA break repair, 
respectively. We also identified several novel genes whose expression was 
downregulated in NSCLC, including SGCG, NLRC4, MMRN1, and SFTPD, which are 
involved in extracellular matrix formation, apoptosis, blood vessel leakage, and 
inflammation, respectively. We found a significant correlation between RNA 
degradation and survival in adenocarcinoma cases.
CONCLUSIONS: Even though the follow-up time was too limited to draw final 
conclusions, we were able to show better prediction p values in a group 
selection based on molecular profiles compared to histology. The current study 
also uncovered new candidate biomarker genes that are likely to be involved in 
diverse processes associated with NSCLC development.