NCAPG is a prognostic biomarker associated with vascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma

Vascular invasion is closely associated with tumor recurrence and poor patient outcomes in individuals diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we explored the potential value of NCAPG as a prognostic biomarker of vascular invasion in HCC patients.

Two Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets (GSE14520 - GPL3721 Subset; GSE67140 - GPL8786) were utilized to explore the relationship between genes and HCC-associated vascular invasion. Hub genes associated with vascular invasion were identified through analyses of Cytoscape using the Cytohubba plugin, and relationships between specific genes and patient survival outcomes were assessed through univariate and multivariate analyses of the TCGA-Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-LIHC) database.

In total, 10 hub genes were associated with vascular invasion in the two analyzed GEO datasets. Importantly, non-SMC condensin I complex subunit G (NCAPG) overexpression was correlated with poor prognosis for patients in the TCGA-LIHC database. NCAPG was identified as an independent predictor of HCC patient overall survival (OS) (HR 2.543; 95% CI 1.224, 5.285; p = 0.012) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR 2.034; 95% CI 1.160, 3.566; p = 0.013) in a multivariate Cox analysis. NCAPG expression status, vascular invasion status, tumor status, and AJCC T stage were independent predictors of OS, with a concordance index (c-index) value of 0.713 (95% CI, 0.671, 0.756). NCAPG expression levels were related to hypomethylation status and were positively correlated with tumor immune cell infiltration and immune cell-related biomarker expression.

NCAPG upregulation is associated with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with vascular invasion.