Notch signaling pathway-based classification of bladder cancer in relation to tumor immune infiltration

Abstract

Introduction:
The role of the Notch signaling pathway in the development of various tumors has received increasing attention, but the relationship between the Notch signaling pathway and the prognosis of bladder cancer has rarely been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the function and risk evaluation value of Notch signaling pathway-related genes (NRGs) in bladder cancer.

Material and methods:
The list of genes related to the Notch signaling pathway was obtained from the molecular signature database. The bladder cancer dataset was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Cox regression analysis and Lasso regression analysis were used to construct the characteristics for predicting the overall survival of patients with bladder cancer. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to evaluate the infiltration of peripheral immune cells in different risk subgroups.

Results:
NRG expression was remarkably dysregulated in bladder cancer. Next, bladder cancer was classified into two subtypes (C1 and C2) based on NRG expression levels. The two subtypes had a significant difference in prognosis and were closely related to clinical characteristics. Further analysis showed that immune cell infiltration and immune scores were also significantly different between the two subtypes.

Conclusions:
Notch signaling pathway-based bladder cancer typing has different prognoses and may be related to tumor immunity. NRGs can be identified for risk evaluation and help improve clinical decision-making.