The pancancer landscape of Wnt family expression reveals potential biomarkers in urinary system tumors

Abstract

Immunotherapy and targeted therapy have been particularly effective in treating tumors of the urinary system; however, the mechanisms of the Wnt family of proteins in the tumorigenesis, development, and immune response of urinary system tumors are not fully understood. Here, we show that the Wnt family was extensively upregulated in and impacted the prognosis of patients with prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) and bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA). Moreover, the Wnt family correlated with the levels of infiltrating immune cells, including B cells, CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. The expression levels of Wnt family members were closely related to neoantigens, the mismatch repair system (MMRS) and DNA methyltransferases, and the mutation rate was generally low. Wnt family members are potential biomarkers for precision immunotherapy of urinary system tumors.