An Anoikis-related LncRNA Signature: Integrated Analysis of Immune Infiltration Landscape in Patients with Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Immunotherapy

Abstract

Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and any factor causing metastasis contributes to its poor prognosis. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays an important role in promoting the poor progression of LIHC. And the occurrence of anoikis resistance is also essential for tumor metastasis. The study aimed to establish an anoikis-related lncRNA (ARlncRNA) signature for LIHC. The raw data were obtained from the TCGA and GeneCards databases. Using the univariate Cox methods (p < 0.05) and the LASSO (10-fold cross-validation) regression analysis, we first identified a lncRNA-associated signature which consisted of AC100812.1, AL365295.1, AC073352.1, ELFN1-AS1, LINC00513, and MIR4435-2HG. Furthermore, we constructed a risk model based on the ARlncRNAs scores and evaluated it from different perspectives, including survival prognosis, clinical characteristics, signaling pathways, levels of immune cell infiltration, and drug sensitivity. The results of validation indicated that the prognostic performance of the lncRNA-associated risk score is excellent and is more suitable for constructing a prognostic model than other clinical features. We finally identified 3 LIHC subtypes and made predictions on their immune infiltration landscape and drug sensitivity. Our study elucidated the mechanisms of LIHC metastasis and its immune infiltration landscape, which was of great significance in expanding our understanding of LIHC progression and facilitating patients’ personalized management.