ZNF281 expression is significantly associated with miR-221 and PTEN mRNA levels in NSCLC tissues. Expression levels of miR-221 and PTEN mRNA in NSCLC tissues were measured by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Associations between ZNF281 and (A) miR-221 and (B) PTEN mRNA expression, and between (C) miR-221 and PTEN mRNA expression were analyzed using linear regression. ZNF281, zinc finger protein 281; NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer; miR, microRNA; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homolog.