Identification and validation of protein biomarkers for predicting gastrointestinal stromal tumor recurrence

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Proteomics
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) recurrence risk stratification is crucial for patient management.
• Accurate prediction of GIST recurrence remains a clinical challenge, necessitating novel prognostic markers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and validate protein biomarkers for predicting recurrence risk in GIST patients.
• To assess the association of identified biomarkers with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS).

Main Methods:

• Proteomic analysis using mass spectrometry to identify differentially expressed proteins in metastatic versus primary GIST.
• Immunohistochemistry validation of selected biomarkers (GPX4, RBM4, TPM3, PFKFB2, PGAM5) in primary GIST tissues.
• Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to correlate biomarker expression with RFS and OS.

Main Results:

• Significantly higher expressions of GPX4, RBM4, TPM3, PFKFB2, and PGAM5 were confirmed in primary GIST tissues of recurrent patients.
• High expression of these biomarkers correlated with lower RFS, and GPX4 and RBM4 with lower OS.
• Positive associations among biomarker pairs indicated increased recurrence and mortality rates with high expression.

Conclusions:

• GPX4, RBM4, TPM3, PFKFB2, and PGAM5 are clinically relevant biomarkers for predicting GIST recurrence.
• High expression of these biomarkers in primary tumors serves as a prognostic indicator for poorer RFS and OS.
• These biomarkers can potentially enable earlier GIST treatment and improve patient outcomes.