Deciphering the prognostic and immunological landscape of NFKBIA across human cancers

This study aimed to explore the pan-cancer expression, prognostic significance, and immune relevance of NFKBIA , with a specific focus on BRCA, GBM, KIRC, and SKCM. NFKBIA expression was analyzed across multiple cancers using the GEPIA2 and TCGA databases. Survival analyses for BRCA, GBM, KIRC, and SKCM were performed, including overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint gene expression were evaluated in high and low NFKBIA expression groups. The TIMER2.0 database was used to investigate immune cell correlations, and single-cell data from TISCH was analyzed for NFKBIA expression in tumor subpopulations. Pan-cancer analysis revealed that NFKBIA expression was significantly dysregulated across multiple cancers. In BRCA and KIRC, high NFKBIA expression correlated with improved OS and DFS. In contrast, in GBM, elevated NFKBIA expression was not associated with prognosis. In SKCM, higher NFKBIA expression predicted better OS. Additionally, NFKBIA expression showed correlations with immune cell infiltration levels, including CD8 + T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells, particularly in BRCA, GBM, KIRC, and SKCM. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis confirmed that NFKBIA was highly expressed in specific immune cell subsets within the tumor microenvironment (TME), indicating its role in regulating immune responses across these cancers. NFKBIA expression is a critical factor in the prognosis of pan-cancer, particularly in BRCA, KIRC, and SKCM, with its effects may contribute to the immune microenvironment.