Uncovering the potential of APOD as a biomarker in gastric cancer: A retrospective and multi-center study.

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Dysregulated lipid metabolism is a well-recognized hallmark of tumorigenesis, prompting investigation into apolipoproteins (APOs). In this study, we focused on apolipoprotein D (APOD) following comprehensive analyses of APOs in pan-cancer. Utilizing data from the TCGA-STAD and GSE62254 cohorts, we elucidated associations between APOD expression and multiple facets of GC, including prognosis, tumor microenvironment (TME), cancer biomarkers, mutations, and immunotherapy response, and identified potential anti-GC drugs. Single-cell analyses and immunohistochemical staining confirmed APOD expression in fibroblasts within the GC microenvironment. Additionally, we independently validated the prognostic significance of APOD in the ZN-GC cohort. Our comprehensive analyses revealed that high APOD expression in GC patients was notably associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes, reduced microsatellite instability and tumor mutation burden, alterations in the TME, and diminished response to immunotherapy. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential prognostic and therapeutic implications of APOD in GC.", "claims": [{"id": "claim-method", "statement": "Survival curves were plotted using the KM method, and differences in OS were analyzed using Log-rank tests and RMST method. Univariate and multivariate CoxPHs were constructed to characterize the prognostic roles of genes, with 95% confidence intervals (CI).", "kind": "methodological", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:38455068", "locator": "sections[15] \"Statistical analysis\" paragraph 2", "quote": "Survival curves were plotted using the KM method, and differences in OS were analyzed using Log-rank tests and RMST method. Univariate and multivariate CoxPHs were constructed to characterize the prognostic roles of genes, with 95% confidence intervals (CI)."}], "state": "complete"}, {"id": "claim-target-result", "statement": "Higher APOD expression was significantly associated with poorer survival in gastric cancer.", "kind": "qualitative", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:38455068", "locator": "sections[20] \"APOD indicates poor prognosis in GC patients\" paragraph 2", "quote": "Including APOD grouping, survival status, and follow-up time in the model, we calculated a p-value for trend of 0.013 in TCGA-STAD and 4.65 × 10–6 in GSE62254, confirming a significant correlation between APOD expression and patient survival."}], "state": "complete"}], "gaps": []}, "experiment": {"state": "partial", "objective": "Higher APOD expression was significantly associated with poorer survival in gastric cancer.", "steps": [{"id": "read_published_estimate", "order": 1, "name": "Read the published estimate from the source", "kind": "other", "state": "complete", "blocked_on": null, "description": "The claim, method and evidence span published with the source article.", "duration_hours": null, "parameters": {}, "inputs": ["source:pmid:38455068"], "outputs": ["the published estimate and its evidence"], "instruments": [], "reagents": []}, {"id": "obtain_source_data", "order": 2, "name": "Obtain the source data from the named repository", "kind": "data-preparation", "state": "blocked", "blocked_on": "data:accession_absent", "description": "The GEO series accession resolves and its sample accessions are listed. 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