BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common cancer with a poor prognosis.Previous studies revealed that the tumor microenvironment(TME)plays an important role in HCC progression,recurrence,and metastasis,leadi...BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common cancer with a poor prognosis.Previous studies revealed that the tumor microenvironment(TME)plays an important role in HCC progression,recurrence,and metastasis,leading to poor prognosis.However,the effects of genes involved in TME on the prognosis of HCC patients remain unclear.Here,we investigated the HCC microenvironment to identify prognostic genes for HCC.AIM To identify a robust gene signature associated with the HCC microenvironment to improve prognosis prediction of HCC.METHODS We computed the immune/stromal scores of HCC patients obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas based on the ESTIMATE algorithm.Additionally,a risk score model was established based on Differentially Expressed Genes(DEGs)between high and lowimmune/stromal score patients.RESULTS The risk score model consisting of eight genes was constructed and validated in the HCC patients.The patients were divided into high-or low-risk groups.The genes(Disabled homolog 2,Musculin,C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8,Galectin 3,B-cell-activating transcription factor,Killer cell lectin like receptor B1,Endoglin and adenomatosis polyposis coli tumor suppressor)involved in our risk score model were considered to be potential immunotherapy targets,and they may provide better performance in combination.Functional enrichment analysis showed that the immune response and T cell receptor signaling pathway represented the major function and pathway,respectively,related to the immune-related genes in the DEGs between high-and low-risk groups.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis confirmed the good potency of the risk score prognostic model.Moreover,we validated the risk score model using the International Cancer Genome Consortium and the Gene Expression Omnibus database.A nomogram was established to predict the overall survival of HCC patients.CONCLUSION The risk score model and the nomogram will benefit HCC patients through personalized immunotherapy.展开更多
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81972255,No.81772597 and No.81672412Guangdong Natural Science Foundation,No.2017A030311002+4 种基金Guangdong Science and Technology Foundation,No.2017A020215196Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Sun YatSen University,No.17ykpy44Science Foundation of Jiangxi,No.20181BAB214002Education Department Science and Technology Foundation of Jiangxi,No.GJJ170936Grant from Guangdong Science and Technology Department,No.2017B030314026
文摘BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common cancer with a poor prognosis.Previous studies revealed that the tumor microenvironment(TME)plays an important role in HCC progression,recurrence,and metastasis,leading to poor prognosis.However,the effects of genes involved in TME on the prognosis of HCC patients remain unclear.Here,we investigated the HCC microenvironment to identify prognostic genes for HCC.AIM To identify a robust gene signature associated with the HCC microenvironment to improve prognosis prediction of HCC.METHODS We computed the immune/stromal scores of HCC patients obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas based on the ESTIMATE algorithm.Additionally,a risk score model was established based on Differentially Expressed Genes(DEGs)between high and lowimmune/stromal score patients.RESULTS The risk score model consisting of eight genes was constructed and validated in the HCC patients.The patients were divided into high-or low-risk groups.The genes(Disabled homolog 2,Musculin,C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8,Galectin 3,B-cell-activating transcription factor,Killer cell lectin like receptor B1,Endoglin and adenomatosis polyposis coli tumor suppressor)involved in our risk score model were considered to be potential immunotherapy targets,and they may provide better performance in combination.Functional enrichment analysis showed that the immune response and T cell receptor signaling pathway represented the major function and pathway,respectively,related to the immune-related genes in the DEGs between high-and low-risk groups.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis confirmed the good potency of the risk score prognostic model.Moreover,we validated the risk score model using the International Cancer Genome Consortium and the Gene Expression Omnibus database.A nomogram was established to predict the overall survival of HCC patients.CONCLUSION The risk score model and the nomogram will benefit HCC patients through personalized immunotherapy.
