The prognostic value of plasma complement factor B (CFB) in thyroid carcinoma.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Genomics

Background:

• The tumor microenvironment (TME) significantly impacts thyroid carcinoma (THCA) progression, yet its intricate relationship with THCA remains incompletely understood.
• Stromal and immune cells are key components of the TME, influencing tumor growth and development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of stromal and immune cells in the TME of THCA.
• To identify potential biomarkers for THCA prognosis and understand their association with immune cell infiltration.

Main Methods:

• Utilized CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE to calculate stromal and immune cell scores and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) from TCGA THCA gene expression data.
• Performed differential gene expression analysis and functional enrichment analysis (GSEA) to identify key genes and pathways.
• Validated findings using external cohorts from the GEO database and quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR).

Main Results:

• Identified a significant correlation between plasma complement factor B (CFB) levels and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) development and prognosis.
• GSEA revealed CFB enrichment in immune response pathways.
• CFB expression demonstrated distinct positive and negative correlations with various immune cell subsets within the TME, including T cells and macrophages.

Conclusions:

• Complement factor B (CFB) serves as a potential prognostic biomarker for THCA.
• CFB expression is associated with specific immune cell infiltration patterns in the THCA tumor microenvironment.
• Further research into CFB's role could elucidate mechanisms influencing THCA progression and immune response.