Expression of Th17 axis as a biomarker panel in diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer

Abstract

Little is known about how the immunologic microenvironment alters throughout tumor progression. Currently, murine models have revealed the T-helper 17 (Th17) pathway to play a valuable role in promoting colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to evaluate integrative analysis of Th17 axis genes expression in CRC. The expression level of Th17 axis genes including IL17A, IL17F, IL17RA, IL21, IL21R, IL22 and IL22RA1, were evaluated according to TCGA database. Subsequently, the transcription levels of mentioned genes were assessed using qRT-PCR technique. ROC curve was used to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of genes expression in CRC. Statistically significant logRank p-values was used in order to determine the relation between gene expression and patient survival. The results from both conditions indicated that the expression of IL-17A, IL-17F and IL-22 genes significantly increased, while the expression levels of IL-17RA, IL-21, IL- 21R and IL-22RA1 genes showed a significant decrease in CRC tissues. Additionally, based on analysis with Kaplan Meyer survival curves, no significant relation between gene expression levels and survival rate of CRC patients was found. However, analysis by ROC curves, demonstrated that these genes could be used as specific biomarkers for the diagnosis of CRC. Th17 axis genes might be useful biomarkers for CRC diagnosis and prognosis.