Abstract
BackgroundAccumulating evidence has demonstrated that immune-related long non-coding ribonucleic acids (irlncRNAs) can be used as prognostic indicators of overall survival (OS) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Our aim in this research, therefore, was to construct a risk model using irlncRNA pairs with no requirement for a specific expression level, in hope of reliably predicting the prognosis and immune landscape of CRC patients.MethodsClinical and transcriptome profiling data of CRC patients downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were analyzed to identify differentially expressed (DE) irlncRNAs. The irlncRNA pairs significantly correlated with the prognosis of patients were screened out by univariable Cox regression analysis and a prognostic model was constructed by Lasso and multivariate Cox regression analyses. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was then plotted, with the area under the curve calculated to confirm the reliability of the model. Based on the optimal cutoff value, CRC patients in the high- or low-risk groups were distinguished, laying the ground for evaluating the risk model from the following perspectives: survival, clinicopathological traits, tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs), antitumor drug efficacy, kinase inhibitor efficacy, and molecules related to immune checkpoints.ResultsA prognostic model consisting of 15 irlncRNA pairs was constructed, which was found to have a high correlation with patient prognosis in a cohort from the TCGA (p < 0.001, HR = 1.089, 95% CI [1.067–1.112]). According to both univariate and multivariate Cox analyses, this model could be used as an independent prognostic indicator in the TCGA cohort (p < 0.001). Effective differentiation between high- and low-risk patients was also accomplished, on the basis of aggressive clinicopathological characteristics, sensitivity to antitumor drugs, and kinase inhibitors, the tumor immune infiltration status, and the expression levels of specific molecules related to immune checkpoints.ConclusionThe prognostic model established with irlncRNA pairs is a promising indicator for prognosis prediction in CRC patients.
Highlights
Colorectal cancer (CRC), named as bowel cancer, is a form of malignancy that affects the large intestine
Based on the optimal cutoff value, CRC patients in the high- or low-risk groups were distinguished, laying the ground for evaluating the risk model from the following perspectives: survival, clinicopathological traits, tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs), antitumor drug efficacy, kinase inhibitor efficacy, and molecules related to immune checkpoints
A prognostic model consisting of 15 irlncRNA pairs was constructed, which was found to have a high correlation with patient prognosis in a cohort from the the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (p < 0.001, HR = 1.089, 95% CI [1.067–1.112])
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC), named as bowel cancer, is a form of malignancy that affects the large intestine. Risk factors having strong associations with disease incidence include male, older age (Bailey et al, 2015; Wolf et al, 2018), heredity factors (Jiao et al, 2014), smoking (Botteri et al, 2008), excessive alcohol intake (Cai et al, 2014), body weight (Kyrgiou et al, 2017), and red or processed meat intake (Chan et al, 2011) These risk factors do not offer information on the biological behavior of cancer cells and do not possess precise predictive value for oncological outcomes. Our aim in this research, was to construct a risk model using irlncRNA pairs with no requirement for a specific expression level, in hope of reliably predicting the prognosis and immune landscape of CRC patients
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