Abstract
PurposeHepatitis B (HBV)-infected hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common cancers, and it has high incidence and mortality rates worldwide. The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma has been increasing in recent years, and existing treatment modalities do not significantly improve prognosis. Therefore, it is important to find a biomarker that can accurately predict prognosis.MethodsThis study was analyzed using the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and validated by the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database. The STRING database was used to construct a gene co-expression network and visualize its functional clustering using Cytoscape. A prognostic signature model was constructed to observe high and low risk with prognosis, and independent prognostic factors for HBV-infected hepatocellular carcinoma were identified by Cox regression analysis. The independent prognostic factors were then analyzed for expression and survival, and their pathway enrichment was analyzed using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA).Results805 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained by differential analysis. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) showed that DEGs were mostly clustered in functional modules, such as cellular matrix response, cell differentiation, and tissue development. Prognostic characterization models showed that the high-risk group was associated with poor prognosis, while Cox regression analysis identified ASF1B as the only independent prognostic factor. As verified by expression and prognosis, ASF1B was highly expressed in HBV-infected hepatocellular carcinoma and led to a poor prognosis. GSEA showed that high ASF1B expression was involved in cell cycle-related signaling pathways.ConclusionBioinformatic analysis identified ASF1B as an independent prognostic factor in HBV-infected hepatocellular carcinoma, and its high expression led to a poor prognosis. Furthermore, it may promote hepatocellular carcinoma progression by affecting cell cycle-related signaling pathways.
Highlights
Liver cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths
Hepatocellular carcinoma tissue samples from the TCGA database were divided into two groups, HBV infection positive and negative, and the clinical information was compared (Table 1)
The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with positive HBV infection was found to be worse by survival analysis (Figure 1A)
Summary
Liver cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The incidence of liver cancer has continued to increase in recent years and has been concentrated to countries with high sociodemographic indices [1]. There were more than 900,000 new cases of liver cancer in 2020, with the location of occurrence concentrated to the eastern, southeastern, and northern regions of Asia [2]. There are gender and ethnic differences in the incidence of liver cancer [3]. Liver cancer is still very difficult to treat. It can be treated by surgical resection, organ transplantation, and chemotherapy, patients’ prognoses have not improved greatly in recent years [4]. The search for a new biomarker to improve diagnostic accuracy and prognostic prediction is important
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