Establishment and verification of a prognostic signature associated with fatty acid metabolism in endometrial cancer.

Abstract

Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is one of the leading causes of mortality in women. Metabolic disorders, such as abnormal fatty acid metabolism (FAM), are considered to be indicators of tumorigenesis. However, to the best of our knowledge, the relationship between EC and FAM remains unclear. The process of FAM is associated with the function of immune cells, thus samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas were grouped according to immune infiltration levels. Subsequently, prognostic gene signatures were constructed based on selected FAM‑associated genes. The signature effect was validated, and enrichment analyses were conducted based on sample classification. Nomograms were used to predict survival, merging clinical data and the gene signature. Samples were divided into high‑ and low‑risk groups based on the gene signature. The survival status, clinical characteristics, enrichment analysis and immune infiltration were significantly different between high‑ and low‑risk groups. According to the nomogram, low microsatellite instability‑high as well as a high tumor mutation burden can be observed in the low‑nomo‑score group. Immune checkpoint inhibitor‑associated genes were differentially expressed between groups and 35 sensitive compounds were identified. Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis in EC revealed potential roles of FAM in tumorigenesis, the tumor microenvironment and prognosis, suggesting that FAM‑associated signatures are promising biomarkers for EC. These findings may improve the understanding of FAM in EC and pave the way for a more accurate assessment of prognosis and immunotherapy outcomes.