https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1077-7273
Abstract
Objective
The objective of this research was to determine the age cut-off for worse prognosis and investigate age-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in patients with advanced ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma (AOSC).
Methods
In this research, we included a cohort of 20,846 patients diagnosed with AOSC, along with RNA-seq data from 374 patients in publicly available databases. Then we used the X-tile software to determine the age cut-off and stratified the patients into young and old groups. We utilized propensity score matching (PSM) to balance baseline between the young and old groups. Furthermore, we conducted an enrichment analysis of DEGs between the two age groups using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways and gene ontology (GO) to identify dysregulated pathways. To evaluate the potential prognostic value of the DEGs, we performed survival analysis, such as Kaplan-Meier analysis and Log rank test.
Results
We stratified the patients into young group (n=16,336) and old group (n=4510) based on the cut-off age of 73 years by X-tile software. Age over 73 years was identified as an independent risk factor for overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Next, we identified 436 DEGs and found that the neurotrophin signaling pathway and translation factor activity were associated with prognosis outcomes. Among the top 10 hub genes (RELA, NFKBIA, TRAF6, IRAK2, TAB3, AKT1, TBP, EIF2S2, MAPK10, and SUPT3H), RELA, TAB3, AKT1, TBP, and SUPT3H were found to be significantly associated with poor prognosis in old patients with AOSC.
Conclusion
Our study determined 73 years as the cutoff value for age in patients with AOSC. RELA, TAB3, AKT1, TBP, and SUPT3H were identified as age-related DEGs that could contribute to the poor prognosis of older patients with AOSC.
Data Sharing Statement
The following information was supplied regarding data availability: Data is available at the SEER database (https://seer.cancer.gov/) and the TCGA database (https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/).
Ethics Statement
We had signed the SEER research data agreement (user name: 11322-Nov2021). The data in this research was obtained from the SEER database and the TCGA database following approved guidelines. The information of patients had been studied by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The data is publicly available and deidentified after permission. Therefore, the research was exempted by the ethics committee of the Zhongda Hospital Southeast University. We confirm that the research was performed in accordance with the principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the SEER database and the TCGA database.
Author Contributions
All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Disclosure
There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article.