A Identification of BAK1 as a novel prognostic biomarker for liver cancer based on the mining of liver cancer pyroptosis-related genes

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a type of digestive tract cancer that has a high incidence and a poor prognosis. Pyroptosis, a newly discovered and proven method of pro-inflammatory programmed cell death, is linked to tumor development, patient prognosis, and response to therapy. In this study, the prognostic genes of liver cancer were obtained; their expressions were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas database; differential analysis, survival analysis, and clinical correlation analysis were performed; and a nomogram was constructed to predict the survival rate. Based on the expression of BAK1 gene, all samples were then divided into two groups: High expression and low expression. Enrichment analysis, immunological analysis, and drug susceptibility analysis of differential genes were subsequently performed in that order. BAK1 expression was found to be significantly higher in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). High BAK1 expression levels were found to be linked to cancer development and poor prognosis. To assess the diagnostic value of BAK1 in LIHC, a receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn. In addition, there were significant differences in drug sensitivity between high and low BAK1 expression in 90 drugs. The BAK1 gene may be a good potential LIHC diagnostic marker, an oncogene in the occurrence and progression of liver cancer, a new prognostic biomarker, and a potential therapeutic target for liver cancer.