Neurotrophic Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 3 as a Prognostic Biomarker in Breast Cancer Using Bioinformatic Analysis

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 3 (NTRK3) is a member of the tropomyosin receptor kinase family of receptor tyrosine kinases, which play a crucial role in neural development. However, owing to the limited number of studies about NTRK3 and cancer, we aimed to investigate NTRK3 as a potential prognostic marker for breast cancer (BC). Materials and Methods: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of NTRK3 expression in BC using the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2, and Kaplan–Meier Plotter databases. We also explored the association between NTRK3 expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Results: Low NTRK3 expression showed poorer prognosis in BC, as well as with T stage, pathology, and the Luminal subtype. In BC (BRCA), NTRK3 was positively correlated with CD4+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, macrophage, and neutrophil infiltration. Conclusions: These results suggest that NTRK3 may serve as a prognostic biomarker and provide novel insights into tumor immunology in BC. Therefore, NTRK3 represents a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for BC treatment.

Keywords

• breast cancer
• neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 3
• prognosis
• immune cells
• biomarker