Interactions between tumor mutation burden and immune infiltration in ovarian cancer

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between tumor mutational burden (TMB) and immune infiltration in ovarian cancer. We extracted somatic mutational data and gene expression profiles of ovarian cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The samples were separated into low and high TMB groups. Correlations between TMB and cancer prognosis were analyzed and immune cell infiltration in the high and low TMB subgroups was calculated using the CIBERSORT package software. High TMB was significantly related to an improved survival rate. We identified 4 TMB-related core genes that were significantly associated with prognosis. Furthermore, mutations in the 4 genes were associated with immune cell infiltration. We also found a high proportion of naive B cells and activated NK cells in the high TMB group, while increased proportions of memory B cells and plasma cells were found in the low TMB group. Overall, our study indicated that patients with a higher TMB level experienced a favorable survival outcome and this may influence immune infiltration in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, the 4 TMB-related core genes were highly correlated with prognosis and the level of immune cell infiltration.