Human sperm-associated antigen 4 as a potential prognostic biomarker of lung squamous cell carcinoma. Issue 7 (July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Yongheng; Tang, Yao; Li, Jianhui; Wang, Danfang; Li, Wenhan
• Is Part Of: Journal of international medical research. Volume 49:Issue 7(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-07
• Subjects: Lung squamous cell carcinoma -- prognosis -- gene set enrichment analysis -- sperm-associated antigen 4 -- survival -- glycolysis -- The Cancer Genome Atlas; Medicine -- Periodicals; Pharmacology -- Periodicals; 610.5
• DOI: 10.1177/03000605211032807
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0300-0605

Abstract

Objective: Lung cancer (LC) is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors worldwide. As a subtype of LC, lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) has a 5-year survival rate of less than 15%. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of a glycolysis-related gene signature in LUSC patients. Methods: We obtained RNA-Seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Prognosis-related genes were screened out by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Cox proportional regression models. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to verify the mRNA expression levels in relevant tissues. Results: We found that sperm-associated antigen 4 (SPAG4) overexpression was an independent risk factor for overall survival (OS) in LUSC. Patients with high-risk scores had higher mortality rates than those with low-risk scores. Moreover, by using RT-qPCR, we validated that SPAG4 mRNA was overexpressed in LUSC tissue samples compared with their paired para-cancerous histological normal tissues. Conclusions: Analysis of aberrantly overexpressed SPAG4 may provide a further useful approach to complement existing methods and predict prognosis in LUSC patients.