Identifying functional cuproptosis-related long non-coding RNAs in patients with bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND

Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract and one of the most common cancers in the world. Cuproptosis is a novel type of cell death associated with tumorigenesis. In this study, we assessed the correlation between cuproptosis-related genes and tumorigenesis. Moreover, we constructed a prognostic signature.

METHODS

Pearson correlation analysis and univariate Cox regression were utilized to extract cuproptosis-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) predicting prognosis in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression was utilized to establish a cuproptosizs-related prognostic signature. A nomogram signature was generated to predict individual survival.

RESULTS

We obtained 19 cuproptosis-related genes and 14 prognostic cuproptosis-related lncRNAs. We constructed a seven-prognostic risk signature. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves demonstrated good predictive power (1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of 0.711, 0.673, and 0.684, respectively). The high-risk group reported a worse prognosis than the low-risk group, and the risk signature was identified as an independent factor. The biological process of risk-related genes primarily involved tumorigenesis and migration. The high-risk group expressed high chemokines and T cell inhibition and low antigen-presenting cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Cuproptosis-related lncRNAs are central to tumorigenesis, providing a novel therapeutic target for patients with bladder cancer. We constructed an individualized predictive signature based on cuproptosis-related lncRNAs.