TACC3, correlated with immune cell infiltrates, is a novel prognostic biomarker in BRCA

Transforming acidic coiled-coil-containing protein 3 (TACC3) plays a crucial oncogenic role in various carcinomas and may act as a novel prognostic factor. However, its prognostic significance and underlying mechanisms in breast cancer (BRCA) remain unclear and require further investigation. This research included 181 breast cancer tissues, and the expression levels of TACC3 were analyzed by immunohistochemistry staining and grading. The mRNA expression of TACC3 in pan-cancer was analyzed with The Cancer Genome Atlas data platform. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis assessed TACC3's feasibility as a biomarker, using the area under the curve score. Cox regression analysis evaluated TACC3's prognostic value in BRCA patients. Gene ontology enrichment analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were employed to explore TACC3's potential biological functions. Additionally, single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) assessed the relationship between TACC3 expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in BRCA. High TACC3 expression was prevalent in BRCA tissues and correlated with T-stage and histological type. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that high TACC3 expression was associated with poor overall survival and disease-free survival. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that TACC3 may act as a prognostic biomarker. ssGSEA analysis revealed a positive correlation between elevated TACC3 expression and various tumor-infiltrating immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, including B cells, cytotoxic cells, mast cells, dendritic cells, T cells, and so on. TACC3 plays a significant role in regulating the tumor immune response, presenting a promising molecular target that could provide new insights into treatment strategies for BRCA.