Overexpression of PFKP in liver hepatocellular carcinoma: study of prognostic effects and discovery of potential drug sensitivity

Abstract

Abstract Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) ranks among the most prevalent malignant tumors. This study investigated the pivotal role of platelet-type phosphofructokinase (PFKP) in LIHC. PFKP expression in LIHC tissues and adjacent normal tissues was assessed utilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. In addition, immunohistochemistry was conducted on clinical samples of LIHC tissues and adjacent normal tissues to evaluate PFKP expression. The TCGA database was further exploited to investigate PFKP expression and its correlation with LIHC prognosis and immune infiltration. Our findings unveiled upregulated PFKP expression in LIHC tissues, establishing an association with clinical pathological features (AJCC stage and T stage) and poor prognosis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and ROC curve analysis substantiated these observations by demonstrating that patients with high PFKP expression exhibited shorter median overall survival than those with low expression. Notably, PFKP expression displayed heightened predictive value for 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival predictions. Enrichment analysis disclosed the involvement of PFKP's biological functions in anti-tumor drug metabolism processes. Moreover, PFKP exhibited close associations with the tumor microenvironment and immune therapy. Consequently, our study identified several clinical drugs and inhibitors that exhibited increased sensitivity in LIHC patients with high PFKP expression. To conclude, PFKP assumes a critical role in the onset and progression of LIHC, thereby underscoring its significance in both research and treatment.