Diagnostic Value, Prognostic Value, and Immune Infiltration of Family Members in Liver Cancer: Bioinformatic Analysis.

Background: Liver cancer (LC) is well known for its prevalence as well as its poor prognosis. The aberrant expression of lysyl oxidase () family is associated with liver cancer, but their function and prognostic value in LC remain largely unclear. This study aimed to explore the function and prognostic value of LOX family in LC through bioinformatics analysis and meta-analysis.

Results: The expression levels of all family members were significantly increased in LC. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of was 0.946 with positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.994. and were correlated with worse prognosis. Meta-analysis also validated effect of on prognosis. Nomogram of these two genes and other predictors was also plotted. There was insufficient data from original studies to conduct meta-analysis on . The functions of family members in LC were mostly involved in extracellular and functions and structures. The expressions of family members strongly correlated with various immune infiltrating cells and immunomodulators in LC.

Conclusions: For LC patients, may be a potential diagnostic biomarker, while and have potential prognostic and therapeutic values. Positive correlation between family and infiltration of various immune cells and immunomodulators suggests the need for exploration of their roles in the tumor microenvironment and for potential immunotherapeutic to target family proteins.