Transcriptome analysis reveals the potential role of neural factor EN1 for long-terms survival in estrogen receptor-independent breast cancer.

Journal: Molecular therapy. Oncology
Published Date: Mar 8, 2025

Abstract

Breast cancer patients with estrogen receptor-negative (ERneg) status, encompassing triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive breast cancer, are confronted with a heightened risk of drug resistance, often leading to early recurrence; the biomarkers and biological processes associated with recurrence is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from 285 cancer and paracancerous samples from 155 TNBC patients, along with transcriptome data from 11 independent public cohorts comprising 7,449 breast cancer patients and 26 single-cell RNA-seq datasets. Our results revealed differential enrichment of nerve-related pathways between TNBC patients with and without 10-year recurrence-free survival. We developed an early recurrence index (ERI) using a machine learning model and constructed a nomogram that accurately predicts the 10-year survival of ERneg patients (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.79; AUC = 0.796). Further analysis linked ERI to enhanced neural function and immunosuppression. Additionally, we identified EN1, the most significant ERI gene, as a potential biomarker that may regulate the tumor microenvironment and sensitize patients to immunotherapy.

Authors

  • He Ren
    Department of Ultrasound in Medicine, Navy General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China.
  • Shan Liu
    Department of Radiology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China.
  • Dongchen Ji
    Department of Oncological Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province 150000, China.
  • Xue Li
    Department of Clinical Research Center, Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou 635000, China.
  • Xue Sun
    Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbohydrates, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China. sunxueflies@163.com.
  • Wenzheng Wang
    School of Information and Electronics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China. wwz@bit.edu.cn.
  • Tong Liu
    Intensive Care Medical Center, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200065, People's Republic of China.
  • Yingpu Li
    Department of Oncological Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150000, Heilongjiang Province, China. liyingpu@hrbmu.edu.cn.

Keywords

No keywords available for this article.

External Resources

Popular Topics
Recent Journals