Long Noncoding RNA PTTG3P Expression Is an Unfavorable Prognostic Marker for Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma

PTTG3P, which maps to chromosome 8q13.1, is a novel long noncoding RNA with oncogenic properties in cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic value of PTTG3P in terms of overall survival and recurrence-free survival and its potential regulatory network and transcription pattern in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

An in silico analysis was performed using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Results showed that the high PTTG3P expression group was consistently associated with shorter overall survival and recurrence-free survival, regardless of pathological stages or tumor grade. High PTTG3P expression was an independent indicator of shorter overall survival (hazard ratio: 2.177, 95% confidence interval: 1.519-3.121, P < .001) and recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio: 2.222, 95% confidence interval: 1.503-3.283, P < .001). The genes strongly coexpressed with PTTG3P are enriched in several KEGG pathways that are closely associated with carcinogenesis and malignant transformation of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Based on the findings, we infer that PTTG3P expression might serve as an independent prognostic biomarker in primary hepatocellular carcinoma.