The Lung Adenocarcinoma Microenvironment Mining and Its Prognostic Merit

BACKGROUND: As a common pathological type of lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is mainly treated by surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and radiotherapy. Although a relatively mature treatment system has been established, there are few studies on the microenvironment of LUAD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The immune and stromal scores of patients from the LUAD cohort in the TCGA database were obtained by using ESTIMATE. The relationship of immune and stromal scores with the clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival of LUAD patients was assessed by R. GO, KEGG and Cox regression analyses were employed to analyze intersecting genes and to identify reliable prognostic markers. The identified genes were also analyzed in the GEPIA database to assess their correlations with survival, and these relationships were verified with the Kaplan-Meier Plotter database. RESULTS: The immune score was related to the survival time and tumor topography of LUAD patients. There was a significant correlation between stromal score and tumor metastasis. Through multivariate analysis, stage (HR = 1.640, 95% CI = 1.019-2.642, P = 0.042) and risk score (HR = 1.036, 95% CI = 1.026-1.046, P < 0.001). The genes (ARHGAP15, BTLA, CASS4, CLECL1, FAM129C, STAP1, TESPA1, and S100P) showed credible prognostic value in LUAD patients in TCGA through GEPIA database online analysis and verification in the Kaplan-Meier plotter database. CONCLUSIONS: In the microenvironment of lung adenocarcinoma, the differentially expressed genes screened by immune score and stromal score have certain value in evaluating the survival/prognosis of patients, as well as the invasion and progression of tumors.