Transcriptome of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Reveals Two Molecular Subtypes with Distinct Tumor Microenvironment and Prognosis
Authors' conclusion
ATC shows a TME distinct from that of DTC and can be further divided into two molecular subtypes-each with its own unique TME. The ATC-IF group, with a poorer prognosis and higher ERK score, is enriched in immune cells and fibroblasts
Study context
- Population
- Thyroid tissue samples: normal thyroid, benign adenomas, DTC-R, DTC-B and 74 anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATCs)
- Participants
- 1,634 samples
- Comparison
- ATC-immune-fibroblast (ATC-IF) vs ATC-E molecular subtypes of ATC; ATC vs other thyroid histologies
- Normal thyroidn = 476
- Benign adenoman = 25
- DTC-Rn = 340
- DTC-Bn = 719
- Outcome
- TME of ATC and ATC molecular subtypes
Methodological detailsbulk RNA transcriptomic data, deconvolution analysis
- Bulk RNA transcriptomic data
- Deconvolution analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- ATC tumor microenvironment (TME): high abundance of immune cells and fibroblasts, low abundance of epithelial cells vs other thyroid histologies
- ATC ecotype more closely related to DTC-B than DTC-R
- Two distinct molecular subtypes within ATC with significant differences in TMEs: ATC-IF and ATC-E
Further findings
| Outcome | P value |
|---|---|
| Disease-specific survivalATC-IF vs ATC-E · worse with ATC-IF | log-rank p = 0.035 |
ERK and thyroid differentiation scores
- ATC-IF had higher ERK scores and lower thyroid differentiation scores than ATC-E
Immune cells and fibroblasts by ATC subtype
- Both ATC subtypes had elevated immune cells and fibroblasts vs DTC-R and DTC-B, more pronounced in ATC-IF, with marked rise in myeloid lineage cells and promigratory fibroblasts
Immune checkpoint gene expression and EMT scores
- Significantly higher in ATC-IF than ATC-E
Original publication
Transcriptome of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Reveals Two Molecular Subtypes with Distinct Tumor Microenvironment and Prognosis. Thyroid. Published 27 January 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →