Villin1 predicts survival and adjuvant TACE response in hepatocellular carcinoma

Adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has traditionally been performed as an effective treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study aims to explore key genes associated with TACE treatment for HCC. We used weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify the core gene related to the efficacy of TACE for HCC. The raw data of GSE104580 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed. WGCNA was used to identify the key modules related to the efficacy of TACE for HCC, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was used to screen the core genes. Villin1 (VIL1) was identified as a core gene for predicting TACE response. VIL1 was highly expressed in HCC compared to normal tissues, and high expression of VIL1 was strongly correlated with the poor prognosis of HCC patients. Finally, we used one cohort from our center to validate that high expression of VIL1 was closely related to low TACE efficacy in HCC patients. Our study identified the Villin1 gene that may play an important role in the efficacy of TACE for HCC and may become a potential predictive biomarker for evaluating the efficacy of TACE in HCC patients.