Identification of the Novel Pyroptosis-Related Gene Signature in Patients with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a highly malignant type of digestive tract cancers with a poor prognosis despite therapeutic advances. Pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of programmed cell death, whereas the role of pyroptosis in EAC remains largely unknown. Herein, we identified a pyroptosis-related five-gene signature that was significantly correlated with the survival of EAC patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort and an independent validation dataset. In addition, a nomogram based on the five-gene signature was constructed with novel prognostic values. Moreover, the genes in the pyroptosis-related signature, CASP1, GSDMB, IL1B, PYCARD, and ZBP1, might be involved in immune response and regulation of the tumor microenvironment. Our findings indicate that the five-gene signature provides insights into the involvement of pyroptosis in EAC progression, and is promising in the risk assessment as well as prognosis for EAC patients in clinical practice.