Identification and validation of tumor microenvironment-related signature for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response in patients with lung adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Mounting evidence has found that tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in the tumor progression of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the roles of tumor microenvironment-related genes in immunotherapy and clinical outcomes remain unclear. In this study, 6 TME-related genes (PLK1, LDHA, FURIN, FSCN1, RAB27B, and MS4A1) were identified to construct the prognostic model. The established risk scores were able to predict outcomes at 1, 3, and 5 years with greater accuracy than previously known models. Moreover, the risk score was closely associated with immune cell infiltration and the immunoregulatory genes including T cell exhaustion markers. In conclusion, the TME risk score can function as an independent prognostic biomarker and a predictor for evaluating immunotherapy response in LUAD patients, which provides recommendations for improving patients’ response to immunotherapy and promoting personalized tumor immunotherapy in the future.