【Objective】The study was aimed at investigating the expression of IL-32 in human lung adenocarcinoma and clarifying its clinical significance.【Methods】 The expression of IL-32 in 60 cases lung adenocarcinoma tissues was examined using immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses were applied to test the relation between IL-32 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics including prognosis.【Results】Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the strong positive rate and the total positive rate of IL-32 expression in lung adenocarcinoma were 48.3% (29/60) and 85% (51/60) respectively. The expression level of IL-32 was positively correlated with the clinical staging (P=0.004)

lymph node (P=0.006) and distant metastasis (P=0.039). Survival analysis showed that the 5-year survival rate of patients with high IL-32 expression was significantly lower than those in patients with low expression (P<0.01). The multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis of prognostic factors for overall survival showed that IL-32 expression was an independent prognostic indicator for the patients with lung adenocarcinoma (P=0.013).【Conclusions】IL-32 expression was closely related with invasiveness and metastasis

as well as prognosis

and it might be an useful biomarker for the prediction of prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma.