Fam20C Overexpression Predicts Poor Outcomes and is a Diagnostic Biomarker in Lower-Grade Glioma

Abstract

Glioma is a relatively low aggressive brain tumor. Although the median survival time of patients for lower-grade glioma (LGG) was longer than that of patients for glioblastoma, the overall survival was still short. Therefore, it is urgent to find out more effective molecular prognostic markers. The role of the Fam20 kinase family in different tumors was an emerging research field. However, the biological function of Fam20C and its prognostic value in brain tumors have rarely been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the value of Fam20C as a potential prognostic marker for LGG. A total of 761 LGG samples (our cohort, TCGA and CGGA) were included to investigate the expression and role of Fam20C in LGG. We found that Fam20C was drastically overexpressed in LGG and was positively associated with its clinical progression. Kaplan-Meier analysis and a Cox regression model were employed to evaluate its prognostic value, and Fam20C was found as an independent risk factor in LGG patients. Gene set enrichment analysis also revealed the potential signaling pathways associated with Fam20C gene expression in LGG; these pathways were mainly enriched in extracellular matrix receptor interactions, cell adhesion, cell apoptosis, NOTCH signaling, cell cycle, etc. In summary, our findings provide insights for understanding the potential role of Fam20C and its application as a new prognostic biomarker for LGG.

Regulation of secretory pathway kinase or kinase-like proteins in human cancers

“…Our study published in 2020 showed that several types of solid tumors, i.e., breast, cervical, colorectal, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers, and especially glioma, had an elevated FAM20C ( 18 ). This result has been recognized by peers ( 61 , 62 ). It was also found that increased FAM20C expression is related to decreased cisplatin sensitivity in testicular cancer ( 63 ).…”

GlioMarker: An integrated database for knowledge exploration of diagnostic biomarkers in gliomas

“…For example, the serum anti-FLNC autoantibody ( 52 ), the level of which was significantly higher in low-grade glioma patients than in high-grade glioma patients or in normal volunteers, represents a potential serum biomarker for the early diagnosis of LGG. In addition, HLA-DRA ( 53 ) and Fam20C ( 54 ) are also promising biomarkers for LGG diagnosis and prognosis.…”

LncRNA WEE2-AS1 is a diagnostic biomarker that predicts poor prognoses in patients with glioma

“…Glioma is the most common primary malignant tumor originating from glial cells [ 1 , 2 ]. Currently, the standard treatment to reduce the rate of mortality in patients with glioma is maximum safe surgical resection, followed by postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy [ 3 – 5 ]. With continuous improvement at the medical level, new treatment methods, such as alternating electric field therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, have been proposed [ 6 ].…”

“…However, the prognosis of patients with glioma fails to satisfy the expected goal and the median survival time is only 12–18 months [ 1 , 7 , 8 ]. The main factors contributing to the poor prognoses are the heterogeneity of tumors and the complexity of epigenetics, making it difficult to identify the therapeutic target of gliomas [ 3 , 9 ]. In addition, the infiltrative nature of tumors makes it practically impossible to completely remove the tumor by surgical procedures, and the existence of the physiological blood-brain barrier limits the effect of drugs [ 1 ].…”

“…Glioma is the most common primary malignant tumor originating from glial cells [1,2]. Currently, the standard treatment to reduce the rate of mortality in patients with glioma is maximum safe surgical resection, followed by postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy [3][4][5].…”