Reveal the Heterogeneity in the Tumor Microenvironment of Pancreatic Cancer and Analyze the Differences in Prognosis and Immunotherapy Responses of Distinct Immune Subtypes

Xiaoqin Wang; Lifang Li; Yang Yang; Linlin Fan; Ying Ma; Feifei Mao

doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.832715

Frontiers in Oncology (Feb 2022)

Reveal the Heterogeneity in the Tumor Microenvironment of Pancreatic Cancer and Analyze the Differences in Prognosis and Immunotherapy Responses of Distinct Immune Subtypes

Xiaoqin Wang,
Lifang Li,
Yang Yang,
Linlin Fan,
Ying Ma,
Feifei Mao

Affiliations

Xiaoqin Wang: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
Lifang Li: Emergency Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
Yang Yang: Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Changzhou, Changzhou, China
Linlin Fan: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
Ying Ma: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
Feifei Mao: Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2022.832715
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12

Abstract

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PurposeThe current clinical classification of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cannot well predict the patient’s possible response to the treatment plan, nor can it predict the patient’s prognosis. We use the gene expression patterns of PDAC patients to reveal the heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer and analyze the differences in the prognosis and immunotherapy response of different immune subtypes.MethodsFirstly, use ICGC’s PACA-AU PDAC expression profile data, combined with the ssGSEA algorithm, to analyze the immune enrichment of the patient’s tumor microenvironment. Subsequently, the spectral clustering algorithm was used to extract different classifications, the PDAC cohort was divided into four subtypes, and the correlation between immune subtypes and clinical characteristics and survival prognosis was established. The patient’s risk index is obtained through the prognostic prediction model, and the correlation between the risk index and immune cells is prompted.ResultsWe can divide the PDAC cohort into four subtypes: immune cell and stromal cell enrichment (Immune-enrich-Stroma), non-immune enrichment but stromal cell enrichment (Non-immune-Stroma), immune-enriched Collective but non-matrix enrichment (Immune-enrich-non-Stroma) and non-immune enrichment and non-stromal cell enrichment (Non-immune-non-Stroma). The five-year survival rate of immune-enrich-Stroma and non-immune-Stroma of PACA-CA is quite different. TCGA-PAAD’s immune-enrich-Stroma and immune-enrich-non-Stroma groups have a large difference in productivity in one year. The results of the correlation analysis between the risk index and immune cells show that the patient’s disease risk is significantly related to epithelial cells, megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitor (MEP), and Th2 cells.ConclusionThe tumor gene expression characteristics of pancreatic cancer patients are related to immune response, leading to morphologically recognizable PDAC subtypes with prognostic/predictive significance.

Published in Frontiers in Oncology

ISSN: 2234-943X (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Website: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/

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