Pyroptosis-Related lncRNAs for Predicting the Prognosis and Identifying Immune Microenvironment Infiltration in Breast Cancer Lung Metastasis

Breast cancer (BC) is the second leading cause of death among women and is highly heterogeneous. Three pyroptosis (PR) subtypes were identified in patients with BC from the Cancer Genome Atlas Database (TCGA) cohorts using 20 PR-related regulators, which illustrate a strong association between BC prognosis and PR. Lung metastasis commonly occurs in the advanced stages of BC, resulting in a poor quality of life. Eight differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs were identified using LASSO-Cox analysis between PR-related and BC lung metastasis. Moreover, a BRCA risk-score (RS) model was established using multivariate Cox regression, which correlated with prognosis in TCGA-BRCA. Clinical characteristics, tumor mutation burden, and tumor immune cell infiltration were extensively investigated between high- and low-RS groups. Similarly, a lower RS implied longer overall survival, greater inflammatory cell infiltration, and better immunotherapeutic response to PD-1 blockers. Our findings provide a foundation for future studies targeting PR and confirme that RS could predict the prognosis of patients with BC.

Automated summary

Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease and the second leading cause of death among women. The study identified three subtypes of pyroptosis that are strongly associated with breast cancer prognosis. Lung metastasis, a common complication of advanced breast cancer, significantly impacts patients' quality of life. The study also found that certain lncRNAs and a BRCA risk-score model could predict the occurrence of lung metastasis in breast cancer patients.