A novel immune‑related lncRNA as a prognostic biomarker in HER2+ breast cancer

Xinwei Li; Yue Meng; Bing Gu

doi:10.3892/ol.2024.14402

A novel immune‑related lncRNA as a prognostic biomarker in HER2⁺ breast cancer

Oncol Lett. 2024 Apr 16;27(6):269. doi: 10.3892/ol.2024.14402. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Authors

Xinwei Li^{1

2}, Yue Meng², Bing Gu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China.
² Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, P.R. China.

Abstract

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)⁺ breast cancer is characterized by high malignancy and poor prognosis. Long non-coding (lnc)RNAs are crucial in breast cancer progression and prognosis, especially in tumor-associated immune processes. The present study aimed to elucidate novel lncRNAs related to immune function that could serve as biomarkers for both diagnosis and prognosis of this cancer subtype. Using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and The Immunology Database and Analysis Portal, correlation analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs and immune-related genes. Through receiver operating characteristic analysis, the diagnostic value of specific lncRNAs was identified and evaluated, with a focus on their capacity to distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous states. The present research revealed 22 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 23 differentially expressed immune-related genes, with 19 immune-related lncRNAs. A total of 13 of these lncRNAs demonstrated diagnostic relevance. In particular, it was demonstrated that the expression of lncRNA CTC-537E7.2 was significantly correlated with patient survival, suggesting its potential as a prognostic marker. Additionally, the expression of lncRNA CTC-537E7.2 was significantly correlated with clinical parameters, such as hormone receptor status and patient demographics. Moreover, it exhibited associations with four distinct immune cell types and demonstrated involvement in the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway. Further assessment by in situ hybridization confirmed the increased expression of lncRNA CTC-537E7.2 in samples from HER2⁺ patients, reinforcing its significance. In summary, the present study uncovered a novel prognostic biomarker for HER2⁺ breast cancer, thereby laying the groundwork for investigating the underlying molecular mechanisms driving the development of this subtype of breast cancer.

Keywords: HER2+ breast cancer; TCGA; immune-related predictor; lncRNA; prognostic biomarker.

Associated data

figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.25397776

Grants and funding

The present research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 82003149) and the Guangzhou Science and Technology Program (grant no. 202102020265).