NMU & its cancer-specific receptors NTSR1 & GHSR1b, as well as its target genes, are overexpressed in lung cancer and in cell lines, and that those gene products play indispensable roles in the growth and progression of lung cancer cells.

Data show that neurotensin- and NTSR1-positive mmunohistochemistry staining in 60.4% and 59.7% of lung adenocarcinomas, respectively.

Neurotensin and its receptor NTSR1 causes EGFR, HER2 and HER3 over-expression and their autocrine/paracrine activation in lung adenocarcinomas, confirming responsiveness to erlotinib.

Patients with lung cancer have specific personality traits, and variations in the neurotensin receptor 1 gene may be involved in the biological mechanisms of the harm avoidance and reward dependence personality traits.