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Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
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21-03-2022 | Pancreatic Cancer | Original Article – Cancer Research

Analysis of N6-methyladenosine-related lncRNAs in the tumor immune microenvironment and their prognostic role in pancreatic cancer

Authors: Yong Liu, Tao Wang, Ziqi Fang, Junjie Kong, Jun Liu

Published in: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology | Issue 7/2022

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Abstract

Background

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a rare solid malignancy with a poor prognosis. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in tumorigenesis and progression. However, little is known about the role of m6A-related lncRNAs in PC.

Methods

m6A-related lncRNAs were extracted by Pearson analysis, and then prognosis-related lncRNAs were filtered from the m6A-related lncRNAs by univariate Cox regression analysis. Based on the expression patterns of the prognosis-related lncRNAs, samples were classified into distinct clusters. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression was used to construct a m6A-lncRNA-related prognostic signature for PC patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the corresponding area under the curve (AUC) values were used to evaluate the prognostic ability of the model.

Results

A total of 178 tumor and 4 normal samples were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database in our study. Based on the expression of 12 filtered prognosis-related lncRNAs, two distinct clusters were eventually identified; these clusters were characterized by differences in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and prognosis. A risk model comprising ten m6A-related lncRNAs was identified as an independent predictor of prognosis. ROC analysis revealed that this model had an acceptable prognostic value for PC patients. The prognostic signature was related to the TIME and the expression of critical immune checkpoint molecules.

Conclusion

This study comprehensively assessed the expression pattern and prognostic value of m6A-related lncRNAs in PC. The different clusters correlated with distinct TIMEs and prognoses. The study also constructed a ten-gene signature prognostic model based on m6A-related lncRNAs, which showed good accuracy in predicting overall survival.
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Metadata
Title
Analysis of N6-methyladenosine-related lncRNAs in the tumor immune microenvironment and their prognostic role in pancreatic cancer
Authors
Yong Liu
Tao Wang
Ziqi Fang
Junjie Kong
Jun Liu
Publication date
21-03-2022
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology / Issue 7/2022
Print ISSN: 0171-5216
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1335
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-022-03985-4

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