Wang Weiwei, He Zhiguo, Jia Haowen, Zhang Jiansheng, Qi Feng
Department of General Surgery, Baodi Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Department of General Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital Airport Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Transl Cancer Res. 2024 Jun 30;13(6):2985-3002. doi: 10.21037/tcr-23-1561. Epub 2024 Jun 27.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of which its prognostic prediction is still unclarified is a highly heterogeneous disease. Cuproptosis is a form of cell death that depends on copper regulation. Whether the cuproptosis-related genes can be the prognostic indicators of HCC is yet to be elucidated. The aim of this study is to investigate whether cuproptosis-related genes play a role in HCC and can be used as a diagnostic index to predict the occurrence of liver cancer.
We downloaded HCC patients' gene expression profiles and their corresponding clinical data from a public database. To screen data, we used single factor Cox regression analysis, meanwhile, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the verification. After that, the risk score was calculated and the relationship between risk score and clinical factors was analyzed. Besides, a nomogram map was constructed for predicting the prognosis of HCC, and calibration map and decision curve analysis (DCA) map were used to test the model.
Compared to the high expression group of four cuproptosis-related genes, the low expression group showed better overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR) =2.58; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.72-3.89, P<0.01]. The expression of the four cuproptosis-relate genes increased in liver cancer cell lines compared to liver cell lines (P<0.05). Based on these four genes, we calculated the risk score and divided them into two groups as high-risk group and low-risk group. The risk factor map showed the high-risk group had shorter survival time and the four genes were highly expressed. The area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) prediction curve for the first year was 0.726. Risk scores were closely related to clinical factors and immune cells. Finally, we constructed a nomogram for predicting the prognosis of HCC.
The risk score for cuproptosis-related genes was established and involved in the construction of the nomogram, providing a new perspective on the prognosis and copper metabolism of HCC.
肝细胞癌（HCC）是一种高度异质性疾病，其预后预测仍不明确。铜死亡是一种依赖铜调节的细胞死亡形式。铜死亡相关基因是否可作为HCC的预后指标尚待阐明。本研究旨在探讨铜死亡相关基因在HCC中是否起作用，以及能否作为预测肝癌发生的诊断指标。
我们从一个公共数据库下载了HCC患者的基因表达谱及其相应的临床数据。为筛选数据，我们采用单因素Cox回归分析，同时，使用聚合酶链反应（PCR）进行验证。之后，计算风险评分并分析风险评分与临床因素之间的关系。此外，构建了用于预测HCC预后的列线图，并使用校准图和决策曲线分析（DCA）图来检验该模型。
与四个铜死亡相关基因的高表达组相比，低表达组显示出更好的总生存期（OS）[风险比（HR）=2.58；95%置信区间（CI）：1.72 - 3.89，P<0.01]。与肝细胞系相比，四个铜死亡相关基因在肝癌细胞系中的表达增加（P<0.05）。基于这四个基因，我们计算了风险评分并将其分为高危组和低危组。风险因素图显示高危组生存时间较短且这四个基因高表达。第一年的受试者操作特征（ROC）预测曲线的曲线下面积（AUC）为0.726。风险评分与临床因素和免疫细胞密切相关。最后，我们构建了一个用于预测HCC预后的列线图。
建立了铜死亡相关基因的风险评分并参与列线图的构建，为HCC的预后和铜代谢提供了新的视角。
