Immune-related 3-lncRNA signature with prognostic connotation in a multi-cancer setting

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Tumor microenvironment research necessitates biomarkers for immune phenotype to guide cancer treatment and prognosis.
• Existing immune-related gene signatures often lack broad applicability across diverse cancer types.
• Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent an under-explored class of potential biomarkers with expanding biological roles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify prognostic immune-related long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) signatures applicable across multiple solid cancer types.
• To evaluate the clinical utility of lncRNA signatures compared to established biomarkers like the immunologic constant of rejection (ICR).

Main Methods:

• A multi-step computational approach was used to analyze The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) solid cancer datasets.
• Differential expression analysis identified lncRNAs associated with immune-favorable tumors.
• Coding-non-coding network analysis and signature development were performed to identify prognostic lncRNA panels.

Main Results:

• A 3-lncRNA signature demonstrated significant prognostic value across five solid cancer types, outperforming the ICR signature.
• Two 20-lncRNA signatures also showed stronger prognostic effects than ICR in multiple cancers.
• The 3-lncRNA signature exhibited additional prognostic significance in specific gynecological cancers (uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma, cervical squamous cell carcinoma, and endocervical adenocarcinoma).

Conclusions:

• A novel 3-lncRNA signature serves as a potent prognostic biomarker in multiple solid tumors.
• This minimal lncRNA signature offers comparable or superior performance to the established ICR signature.
• The identified lncRNA signature holds potential for clinical implementation in cancer prognostication and treatment stratification.