Anoikis-related Genes Impact Prognosis and Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Bladder Cancer

Abstract

Abstract Anoikis tolerance is an important biological process of tumor colonization and metastasis outside the primary tumor. In recent years, the role and mechanism of anoikis in tumor metastasis have been continuously clarified in different solid tumors. However, the mechanism of anoikis in bladder cancer and its impact on the immune microenvironment is still unclear. We established a 5-gene anoikis score (EVT7, NGF, SCD, LAMC1, and CASP6) and divided them into high and low-risk groups according to the median score based on the TCGA database. We also found that SCD can promote the proliferation of Bca cells in vitro. Combining anoikis score and clinicopathological characteristics to construct a prognostic nomogram can well predict the prognosis of patients. In the analysis of immune cells, it was found that the infiltration of Treg cells and M2 macrophages increased in the high anoikis group, while the infiltration of CD8 T cells decreased. This study evaluates the role of anoikis score in predicting patient prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and drug response, which may provide potential directions for the treatment of bladder cancer.