A novel PD-1/PD-L1 pathway molecular typing-related signature for predicting prognosis and the tumor microenvironment in breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Currently, the development of breast cancer immunotherapy based on the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is relatively slow, and the specific mechanism affecting the immunotherapy efficacy in breast cancer is still unclear. METHODS: Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and the negative matrix factorization (NMF) were used to distinguish subtypes related to the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in breast cancer. Then univariate Cox, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and multivariate Cox regression were used to construct the prognostic signature. A nomogram was established based on the signature. The relationship between the signature gene IFNG and breast cancer tumor microenvironment was analyzed. RESULTS: Four PD-1/PD-L1 pathway-related subtypes were distinguished. A prognostic signature related to PD-1/PD-L1 pathway typing was constructed to evaluate breast cancer’s clinical characteristics and tumor microenvironment. The nomogram based on the RiskScore could be used to accurately predict breast cancer patients’ 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival probability. The expression of IFNG was positively correlated with CD8+ T cell infiltration in the breast cancer tumor microenvironment. CONCLUSION: A prognostic signature is constructed based on the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway typing in breast cancer, which can guide the precise treatment of breast cancer. The signature gene IFNG is positively related to CD8+ T cell infiltration in breast cancer. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12672-023-00669-4.