Mining TCGA lung squamous-cell carcinoma data identified 517 immune-score-associated genes and 21 linked to survival. Across GEO and tissue validation, FBXO2 and IQGAP2 showed more consistent survival associations than AP1S2 and CLEC10A.
Key findings
- Immune score independently associated with OS, not clearly with sex or stage, and only borderline with smoking at p=0.0614. Of 517 DEGs, 42 were upregulated and 21 associated with OS. Four replicated in GEO, but FBXO2 and IQGAP2 were most consistent after IHC.
Why this matters globally
Immune-linked prognostic genes may support stratification and tumor-microenvironment research, but any marker must add value beyond stage and clinical variables and have a reproducible assay before influencing treatment.
Thai researcher contribution
A Chulabhorn Royal Academy researcher contributed to a China-Thailand team bridging bioinformatics and tissue pathology, although the TCGA/GEO data and validation were not a specifically Thai patient cohort.
Limitations to consider
Retrospective public datasets introduce multiple-testing, batch, and population risks. Multistage feature selection may overfit; IHC cohort size and characteristics are not stated in the abstract. Survival association does not establish mechanism or treatment benefit.
Verify the original sources
iNew MedicineRead the original article↗DOI: 10.1002/inm3.70047