Research Paper|Volume 16, Issue 8|pp 7437—7447

Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of NOX4 as a biomarker for pan-cancer prognosis and immune infiltration

Yuying Liu¹, Hua Huang², Xijun Yang³, Danhe Huang¹, Xiongwei Wang¹, Mingyu Yuan¹, Lianqing Hong¹

¹Department of Pathology, Nanjing Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital Affiliated with Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
²Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
³Department of Anesthesiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China

* Equal contribution and share first authorship

Received: November 27, 2023Accepted: March 26, 2024Published: April 25, 2024

https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.205769

Copyright: © 2024 Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

Background: NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) has been proven to be associated with the prognosis of tumors in multiple cancers and can serve as a potential immunotherapy target to provide new treatment options for various tumors. In this study, our aim is to conduct an in-depth investigation of NOX4 across a range of cancer types to determine the relationship between NOX4 and tumors.

Methods: Utilizing large-scale transcriptomic and clinical data from public databases, a systematic examination of NOX4 expression patterns was performed in pan-cancer cohorts. Survival analysis, methylation analysis, and correlation studies were employed to assess the diagnostic and prognostic significance of NOX4 in diverse cancer types. Additionally, an exploration of the relationship between NOX4 expression and immune infiltration across various tumors was conducted.

Results: The analyses unveiled a consistent upregulation of NOX4 expression in multiple cancer types relative to normal tissues, indicating its potential as a universal cancer biomarker. Elevated NOX4 expression significantly correlated with poor overall survival in several cancers. Furthermore, the study demonstrated a robust correlation between NOX4 expression and immune cell infiltration, signifying its involvement in the modulation of the tumor microenvironment.

Conclusions: This study imparts valuable insights into the potential applications of NOX4 in cancer research, highlighting its significance as a multifaceted biomarker with diagnostic, prognostic, and immunomodulatory implications across diverse malignancies.