An M0 macrophage-related prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: The role of M0 macrophages and their related genes in the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains poorly characterized.

Methods: Multidimensional bioinformatic methods were used to construct a risk score model using M0 macrophage-related genes (M0RGs).

Results: Infiltration of M0 macrophages was significantly higher in HCC tissues than in normal liver tissues (P = 2.299e-07). Further analysis revealed 35 M0RGs that were associated with HCC prognosis; two M0RGs (OLA1 and ATIC) were constructed and validated as a prognostic signature for overall survival of patients with HCC. Survival analysis revealed the positive relationship between the M0RG signature and unfavorable prognosis. Correlation analysis showed that this risk model had positive associations with clinicopathological characteristics, somatic gene mutations, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint inhibitor targets, and efficacy of common drugs.

Conclusions: The constructed M0RG-based risk model may be promising for the clinical prediction of prognoses and therapeutic responses in patients with HCC.