hTERT expression in human NSCLC tissues, its association with c-Myc expression, and its impact on patient survival. (A–C) TCGA data analysis of the correlation between c-Myc and hTERT expression (A) and their respective impact on patient survival (B and C) in EGFRm lung adenocarcinomas. (A)c-Myc and hTERT mRNA expression data from 33 EGFRm lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) in the TCGA database were extracted and their correlation was then analyzed. TPM, transcripts per million. (B and C) High versus low expression (cutoff: median) of hTERT or c-Myc in these 33 tumors were also stratified and their impacts on patient survival were analyzed. (D–G) hTERT expression in human NSCLC tissues including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) in comparison with normal tissue (NL) (D and E) and the impact of hTERT expression on patient survival (F and G). hTERT was stained with IHC. Statistical differences were assessed with two-sided unpaired Student’s t test. **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001; ns, not significant.