Immune microenvironment infiltration landscape and immune-related subtypes in prostate cancer

BackgroundThe tumor microenvironment (TME) primarily comprises cancer cells, cancer-infiltrating immune cells, and stromal cells. The tumor cells alter the TME by secreting signaling molecules to induce immune tolerance. The immune cell infiltrating the TME influences the prognosis of patients with cancers. However, immune cell infiltration (ICI) in the TME of patients with prostate cancer (PC) has not yet been studied. MethodsIn this study, we used Cell-type Identification by Estimating Relative Subsets of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT) and Estimation of Stromal and Immune cells in Malignant Tumors using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithms to identify three ICI clusters based on 1,099 genes associated with ICI in the TME. The patients were classified into three distinct ICI gene clusters based on overlapping differentially expressed genes in ICI clusters. Furthermore, the ICI scores were calculated using principal component analysis. ResultsThe results revealed that patients with high ICI scores had poor prognoses and reduced expression of immune-checkpoint genes and immune-related genes. Furthermore, the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and WNT-beta signaling pathways were enriched in the high ICI score subgroup, which suggests that suppression of T cells could contribute to poor prognosis of patients with PC. A positive correlation was observed between the high-ICI-score subgroup and the high tumor mutation burden (TMB) value. Patients with low ICI scores could benefit from immunotherapy, indicating that the ICI score could be used to predict the efficacy of immunotherapeutic response. ConclusionsIn summary, we provide a comprehensive overview of the landscape of ICI in PC, which could aid in designing the strategies for immunotherapy for patients with PC.

Automated summary

In this study, the tumor microenvironment and immune cell infiltration were analyzed in patients with prostate cancer. High immune cell infiltration scores were associated with poor prognosis and decreased expression of immune-related genes. The TGF-beta and WNT-beta signaling pathways were enriched in the high infiltration score subgroup, suggesting a potential mechanism for immune suppression in prostate cancer patients.