FDC-SP as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and modulates immune infiltrates in renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Abstract Background One of the top 10 causes of cancer death, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for more than 90% of all occurrences of primary renal cancer globally. Follicular dendritic cell-secreted protein (FDC-SP) particularly attaches to activated B cells and controls the production of antibodies. It is also believed to encourage the invasion and migration of cancer cells, which may aid in tumor metastases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of FDC-SP in the diagnosis and prognosis of RCC and to examine how immune infiltration in RCC relates to it. Results FDC-SP mRNA and protein levels were significantly higher in RCC tissues compared to normal tissues. The T stage, histological grade, pathological stage, M stage, OS event, DSS event, and PFI event were all associated with the high expression level of FDC-SP. Immune response regulation, complement, and coagulation were the key pathways that were enriched, according to functional enrichment analysis. The levels of FDC-SP expression were found to be significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration, immunological checkpoints, and therapeutic targets. The prognosis of RCC patients with greater FDC-SP expression levels was worse, and FDC-SP expression levels demonstrated the ability to precisely discriminate tumor tissues from healthy tissues (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.635). The AUC values for one, three, and five-year survival rates were all greater than 0.58. An independent predictive biomarker of OS in RCC patients is FDC-SP expression. Conclusion FDC-SP may be a prospective therapeutic target in RCC as well as a possible diagnostic and prognostic biomarker associated with immune infiltration.