Clinical and Translational Research
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Jul 27, 2024; 16(7): 2281-2295
Published online Jul 27, 2024. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v16.i7.2281
Construction of prognostic markers for gastric cancer and comprehensive analysis of pyroptosis-related long non-coding RNAs
Hong-Lei Wang, Yu Wu, Jing Xun, Di Li, Yu Wang
Yu Wang, Di Li, Jing Xun, Yu Wu, Hong-Lei Wang, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300100, China
Author contributions: Wang Y and Li D designed the research; Xun J and Wu Y contributed new reagents/analytic tools; Wang HL analyzed the data; Wang Y wrote the paper; All authors were involved in the critical review of the results and have contributed to read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by The Scientific Research Project of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of Tianjin Health Commission Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 2021010 and No. 2023166; and Xiao-Ping Chen Foundation for the Development of Science and Technology of Hubei Province, No. CXPJJH122002-073.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hong-Lei Wang, Doctor, Chief Physician, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Tianjin University, No. 6 Changjiang Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300100, China. hongleiwang0319@outlook.com
Received: April 10, 2024
Revised: May 22, 2024
Accepted: June 14, 2024
Published online: July 27, 2024
Processing time: 102 Days and 23.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

China's most frequent malignancy is gastric cancer (GC), which has a very poor survival rate, and the survival rate for patients with advanced GC is dismal. Pyroptosis has been connected to the genesis and development of cancer. The function of pyroptosis-related long non-coding RNAs (PRLs) in GC, on the other hand, remains uncertain.

AIM

To explore the construction and comprehensive analysis of the prognostic characteristics of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) related to pyroptosis in GC patients.

METHODS

The TCGA database provided us with 352 stomach adenocarcinoma samples, and we obtained 28 pyroptotic genes from the Reactome database. We examined the correlation between lncRNAs and pyroptosis using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Prognosis-related PRLs were identified through univariate Cox analysis. A predictive signature was constructed using stepwise Cox regression analysis, and its reliability and independence were assessed. To facilitate clinical application, a nomogram was created based on this signature. we analyzed differences in immune cell infiltration, immune function, and checkpoints between the high-risk group (HRG) and low-risk group (LRG).

RESULTS

Five hundred and twenty-three PRLs were screened from all lncRNAs (absolute correlation coefficient > 0.4, P < 0.05). Nine PRLs were included in the risk prediction signature that was created through stepwise Cox regression analysis. We determined the risk score for GC patients and employed the median value as the dividing line between HRG and LRG. The ability of the risk signature to predict the overall survival (OS) of GC is demonstrated by the Kaplan-Meier analysis, risk curve, receiver operating characteristic curve, and decision curve analysis curve. The risk signature was shown to be an independent prognostic factor for OS in both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. HRG showed a more efficient local immune response or modulation compared to LRG, as indicated by the predicted signal pathway analysis and examination of immune cell infiltration, function, and checkpoints (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In general, we have created a brand-new prognostic signature using PRLs, which may provide ideas for immunotherapy in patients with GC.

Keywords: Gastric cancer; Pyroptosis; Prognosis; Immune checkpoint; Long non-coding RNA; Immune cell infiltrating

Core Tip: In this study, China's most common malignancy is gastric cancer (GC), which has a poor survival rate. Pyroptosis is connected to cancer development. The function of pyroptosis-related long non-coding RNAs (PRLs) in GC is uncertain. In our study, we took advantage of the 352 gastric adenocarcinoma samples included in the TCGA database and obtained data on 28 cases related to the pyroptotic genes from the Reactome database. We used the Pearson correlation coefficient method to screen out the long non-coding RNAs associated with pyroptosis. Using univariate Cox analysis, we identified the PRL associated with prognosis. By using PRLs, we created a completely new prognostic marker, which may provide ideas for immunotherapy in GC patients.