Expression Profiles of Hypoxia-Related Genes of Cancers Originating from Anatomically Similar Locations Using TCGA Database Analysis

Abstract

Background: Hypoxia is a well-recognized characteristic of the tumor microenvironment of solid cancers. This study aimed to analyze hypoxia-related genes shared by groups based on tumor location. Methods: A total of 9 hypoxia-related pathways from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database or the Reactome database were selected, and 850 hypoxia-related genes were analyzed. Based on their anatomical locations, 14 tumor types were categorized into 6 groups. The group-specific genetic risk score was classified as high- or low-risk based on mRNA expression, and survival outcomes were evaluated. Results: The risk scores in the Female Reproductive group and the Lung group were internally and externally validated. In the Female Reproductive group, CDKN2A, FN1, and ITGA5 were identified as hub genes associated with poor prognosis, while IL2RB and LEF1 were associated with favorable prognosis. In the Lung group, ITGB1 and LDHA were associated with poor prognosis, and GLS2 was associated with favorable prognosis. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the Female Reproductive group was enriched in relation to cilia and skin, while the Lung group was enriched in relation to cytokines and defense. Conclusions: This analysis may lead to better understanding of the mechanisms of cancer progression and facilitate establishing new biomarkers for prognosis prediction.