GASPS: A Multi-Omics Framework for Defining Genomic Aberration-Driven Signatures and Predicting Patient Outcomes in Lung Cancer

Abstract

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Recent advancements in targeted therapies and immunotherapies have achieved remarkable success. However, patient responses to treatments with lung cancer vary substantially. The mutation status of driver genes can direct personalized treatment, but their prognostic value and treatment efficacy are limited. In this study, we developed a statistical framework named Genomic Aberration-Derived Signature for Patient Stratification (GASPS) to characterize the transcriptomic deregulation of driver genomic aberrations and stratify patients. By applying GASPS to The Cancer Genome Atlas Lung Adenocarcinoma (TCGA-LUAD) data, we developed gene signatures for 38 driver genomic aberrations, including gene mutations, amplifications, and deletions. These signatures were applied to independent lung cancer transcriptomic datasets containing a total of 2,226 patient samples. Our results indicated that these driver gene signatures are much more prognostic than their corresponding genomic mutations. Interestingly, the two EGFR-related signatures characterizing EGFR mutation and amplification, respectively, exhibited contrasting associations with prognosis, treatment response, and immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, the STK11 mutation signature, rather than the mutation status, was found to be predictive of the response and long-term benefit of patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade therapy in lung cancer. This framework is readily applicable to most cancer types using existing data to improve prognostic risk assessment and treatment efficacy by guiding personalized therapies.