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Al B. Benson III, MD, FACP, FASCO
Al B. Benson III, MD, FACP, FASCO
Posted: Friday, September 30, 2022
A systematic study performed by Libin Deng, PhD, of the School of Public Health, Nanchang University, Jiangxi, China, and colleagues aimed to identify the correlation between pyroptosis-related genes and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma. The investigators concluded that the prognostic signature of hepatocellular carcinoma is reliant on four pyroptosis-related genes—CTSV, CXCL8, MKI67, and PRF1—and the results of this study were published in BMC Medical Genomics.
“At present, there are few studies on pyroptosis, especially its mechanism in hepatocellular carcinoma,” the study authors stated. “We identified pyroptosis-related differentially expressed genes between hepatocellular carcinoma and normal tissues and provided a signature to evaluate the prognosis. It will be a helpful reference for clinical and treatment decision-making.”
Differentially expressed pyroptosis-related genes were identified in hepatocellular carcinoma tumors and normal tissues. A prognostic pyroptosis-related gene signature was established via Cox regression analysis, and the effectiveness of this signature was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve. Furthermore, single-sample gene-enrichment analysis was used to demonstrate the infiltration of immune cells and the immune pathway activity in various subgroups.
A total of 29 pyroptosis-related differentially expressed genes were detected from The Cancer Genome Atlas–Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma data set. To construct a prognostic signature, four genes—PRF1, CXCL8, CTSV, and MKI67—were selected, because they appeared to be protective or high-risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma. When patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups, individuals at high risk appeared to have lower levels of immune infiltration. Of note, pyroptosis-related gene signatures were significantly associated with overall survival.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
