Key result
High ACE2 expression linked to ~18% better disease-free survival across cancers alongside increased immune infiltration.
Why the study?
The role of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in cancers remains unclear, including its expression patterns and prognostic value across multiple cancer types.
Does ACE2 expression correlate with prognosis and immune infiltration across multiple cancer types?
Observational (n=9,478)
Does ACE2 expression correlate with prognosis and immune infiltration across multiple cancer types?
Hazard Ratio: 0.82
p-value: p=2.2e-07
ACE2 could serve as a pan-cancer prognostic biomarker and is correlated with immune infiltrates.
ACE2 expression may indicate better prognosis across cancers; leaves open causal immune effects and requires prospective validation before clinical use.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays a pivotal role in the renin-angiotensin system and is closely related to coronavirus disease of 2019. However, the role of ACE2 in cancers remains unclear. We explored the pan-cancer expression patterns and prognostic value of ACE2 across multiple databases, including Oncomine, PrognoScan, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, and Kaplan-Meier Plotter. Then, we investigated the correlations between ACE2 expression and immune infiltration in cancers. We found that tumor tissues had higher expression levels of ACE2 compared with normal tissue in the kidney and the liver and lower expression levels in the lung. High expression levels of ACE2 were beneficial to survival in ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma, liver hepatocellular carcinoma, kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma, and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma, although this was not the case in lung squamous cell carcinoma. For those with a better prognosis, there were significant positive correlations between ACE2 expression and immune infiltrates, including B cells, CD8 + T cells, CD4 + T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. In conclusion, ACE2 could serve as a pan-cancer prognostic biomarker and is correlated with immune infiltrates.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Feng et al. (2020) conducted an observational in Pan-Cancer (n=9,478). ACE2 expression vs. Low ACE2 expression was evaluated on Disease-free survival (HR 0.82, p=2.2e-07). High ACE2 expression was associated with improved disease-free survival (HR 0.82) across multiple cancers and correlated with increased immune cell infiltration in tumors with better prognoses.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: