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Published on: February 8, 2018
Identification of Immune-Related Risk Characteristics and Prognostic Value of Immunophenotyping in TNBC
Jiarong Yi1, Zeyu Shuang1, Wenjing Zhong1
1Department of Breast Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, The State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is not sensitive to targeted therapy with HER-2 monoclonal antibody and endocrine therapy due to lack of ER, PR, and HER-2 receptors. TNBC is a breast cancer subtype with the worst prognosis and the highest mortality rate compared with other subtypes. Materials and Methods: Breast cancer-related data were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and 116 cases of triple-negative breast cancer were identified from the data. GSE31519 dataset was retrieved from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, comprising a total of 68 cases with TNBC. Survival analysis was performed based on immune score, infiltration score and mutation score to explore differences in prognosis of different immune types. Analysis of differentially expressed genes was conducted and GSEA analysis based on these genes was conducted to explore the potential mechanism. Results: The findings showed that comprehensive immune typing is highly effective and accurate in assessing prognosis of TNBC patients. Analysis showed that MMP9, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11 and CD7 are key genes that may affect immune typing of TNBC patients and play an important role in prediction of prognosis in TNBC patients. Conclusion: The current study presents an evaluation system based on immunophenotyping, which provides a more accurate prognostic evaluation tool for TNBC patients. Differentially expressed genes can be targeted to improve treatment of TNBC.
Insights
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) prognosis can be accurately assessed using a novel immune-based evaluation system. Key genes like MMP9 and CXCL9 are identified as crucial for predicting TNBC patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genomics
- Immunology
Background:
- Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks ER, PR, and HER-2 receptors, rendering it insensitive to common targeted and endocrine therapies.
- TNBC presents the poorest prognosis and highest mortality rate among breast cancer subtypes.
- There is a critical need for improved prognostic tools and therapeutic strategies for TNBC.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an accurate prognostic evaluation system for TNBC patients.
- To identify key genes influencing immune typing and prognosis in TNBC.
- To explore potential therapeutic targets for TNBC.
Main Methods:
- Utilized TCGA and GEO databases to retrieve TNBC data (116 and 68 cases, respectively).
- Performed survival analysis based on immune, infiltration, and mutation scores for different immune subtypes.
- Conducted differential gene expression analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to elucidate mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Comprehensive immune typing demonstrated high accuracy in assessing TNBC patient prognosis.
- Identified MMP9, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, and CD7 as key genes impacting TNBC immune typing and prognostic prediction.
- Established a link between specific gene expression patterns and patient survival outcomes.
Conclusions:
- An immunophenotyping-based evaluation system offers a more accurate prognostic tool for TNBC.
- Targeting identified differentially expressed genes holds potential for improving TNBC treatment.
- Further research into these key genes could lead to novel therapeutic interventions for TNBC.
