High expression of VCAN is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in gastric cancer

OBJECTIVE: Versican (VCAN) has been reported as a potential biomarker in some cancers. However, its role in gastric cancer (GC) is poorly understood. METHODS: Associations between clinical variables and VCAN were assessed. The diagnostic value of VCAN expression in GC patients was determined through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Cox regression and the Kaplan–Meier method were used to explore clinicopathologic factors related to overall survival in GC patients. The Gene Expression Omnibus and the Human Protein Atlas were used for further validation. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed using The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. RESULTS: High expression of VCAN was associated with high stage and T classification in GC. The area under the ROC curve was 0.853. Patients with high VCAN expression had worse prognoses than those with low VCAN expression. Multivariate analysis showed that VCAN was an independent risk factor for overall survival in both cohorts. GSEA identified pathways involved in cancer, ECM-receptor interaction, Wnt signaling, T cell receptor signaling, and chemokine signaling as differentially enriched in GCs with high VCAN expression. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that VCAN is expressed at high levels in GC, and represents a potential independent molecular marker for diagnosis and prognosis of GC.