Prognostic Role of EYA4 in Lower Grade Glioma with IDH1 Mutation and 1p19q Co-Deletion

BACKGROUND: Eyes absent 4 (EYA4) participates in an important role in various cancers. Patients with low EYA4 expression have significantly favorable prognosis compared with those with high EYA4 expression. However, the expression and role of EYA4 in lower grade glioma (LGG) has not been fully elucidated. METHODS: The R2 and UCSC Xena browser based on data from 284 cases in GSE16011 from Gene Expression Omnibus datasets and 530 cases of patients with LGG in The Cancer Genome Atlas database were extracted for bioinformatic analyses. The EYA4 expression in different subtypes of LGG was detected. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated to explore the association between EYA4 expression and overall survival (OS) in both datasets. RESULTS: Patients with LGG with lower EYA4 expression had significantly longer 5-and 10-year OS in 2 data sets (P < 0.001). By matching histological subtypes and gene expression profiles of patients with LGG, oligoastrocytoma and oligodendroglioma groups had lower EYA4 expression and longer OS compared with the astrocytoma group (P < 0.05). Patients with IDH1 mutations and 1p19q co-deletion had longer 5-and 10-year OS (P < 0.001), and EYA4 expression was significantly downregulated in these patients (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that EYA4 can be used as a prognostic marker and provide a potential therapeutic target in patients with LGG with IDH1 mutation and 1p19q co-deletion.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that patients with lower EYA4 expression in LGG have a more favorable prognosis. Patients in the oligoastrocytoma and oligodendroglioma groups exhibit lower EYA4 expression and longer survival. Patients with IDH1 mutations and 1p19q co-deletion show downregulated EYA4 expression and better prognosis.