SPATC1L as a Prognostic Marker in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Integrative Bioinformatic Analysis of Immune
Bo Wu1, Yubing Lu2,3, Wei Mao4
1Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518036, China.
Introduction:
To investigate SPATC1L expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), its association with patient prognosis, and its potential clinical significance and associated biological processes.
Methods:
SPATC1L expression profiles and clinical data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Co-expression and differential expression analyses were performed using multiple public resources. Associations between SPATC1L and immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint signatures, and Homologous Recombination (HR)-related genes were evaluated using correlation analyses. Diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic analysis and logistic regression. Prognostic value was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank tests and Cox regression models. A nomogram was constructed, and its performance was validated using calibration curves.
Results:
SPATC1L was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues compared with normal controls. Higher expression was associated with advanced tumor stage, higher histologic grade, and vascular invasion. In multivariate Cox regression analyses adjusted for T stage, pathological stage, histologic grade, tumor status, race, AFP level, and residual tumor status, SPATC1L expression remained independently associated with poorer overall survival and disease-specific survival. SPATC1L expression was also correlated with immune infiltration levels and HRrelated genes.
Discussion:
These findings suggest a potential link to the tumor immune microenvironment and DNA repair pathways, which could partly explain its association with aggressive tumor features and poor survival. Although derived from bioinformatics analyses, the results provide a rationale for mechanistic and experimental validation of SPATC1L as a candidate biomarker and therapeutic target.
Conclusions:
Elevated SPATC1L expression is closely associated with unfavorable clinicopathological characteristics and poor outcomes, supporting its potential value as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in HCC.
