Posted: Wednesday, May 3, 2023
A novel gene signature based on tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL)-related genes may be used to predict overall survival and classify patient outcome and immune profile, according to a research article published in BMC Bioinformatics. “Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in primary bladder tumors and lymph nodes can be extracted from patients, multiplied, and show antitumor activity in vitro,” said Li and Xie, of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. “Exploration of genes associated with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes is therefore essential to comprehending bladder cancer treatment and prognosis."
The study used RNA sequencing and clinical data downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas and gene-expression omnibus databases to investigate TIL-related gene signatures in bladder cancer. A total of 410 bladder tumor samples and 19 control bladder samples were used in the study. TIL-related gene signatures were evaluated using the Pearson correlation analysis, and hub TIL-related gene signatures were selected through comprehensive analysis. Patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas were then divided into different clusters based on the hub TIL-related gene signatures to explore the immune landscape between different clusters.
The authors reported five hub TIL-related gene signatures, and two patient clusters were identified. Each group had a different prognosis, clinical characteristics, tumor microenvironment, immune cell infiltration, drug sensitivity, and immunotherapy responses. The model indicated that the low-risk group had better clinical results and greater immunotherapy sensitivity. The unsupervised clustering analysis based on the five hub TIL-related gene signatures identified two molecular subtypes in TIL-related gene signatures, each with a different prognosis, clinical outcome, and immune landscape. Lastly, the authors noted this model may be used to help identify therapeutic targets for patients with bladder cancer.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.