Olink Proteomics-Based Exploration of Immuno-Oncology-Related Biomarkers Leading to Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression

Introduction:
It is crucial to investigate the distinct proteins
that contribute to the advancement of lung cancer. Material and Methods:
We analyzed the expression levels of 92 immuno-oncology-related proteins
in 96 pairs of lung adenocarcinoma tissue samples using Olink proteomics.
The differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were successively screened
in tumor and paraneoplastic groups, early and intermediate-late groups
by a nonparametric rank sum test, and the distribution and expression
levels of DEPs were determined by volcano and heat maps, etc., and
the area under the curve was calculated. Results: A total of 24 DEPs
were identified in comparisons between tumor and paracancerous tissues.
Among them, interleukin-8 (IL8) and chemokine (C–C motif) ligand
20 (CCL20) as potential markers for distinguishing tumor tissues.
Through further screening, it was found that interleukin-6 (IL6) and
vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) may be able to lead to
tumor progression through the JaK-STAT signaling pathway, Toll-like
receptor signaling pathway and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Interestingly,
our study revealed a down-regulation of IL6 and VEGFA in tumor tissues
compared to paracancerous tissues. Conclusions: IL8 + CCL20 (AUC:
0.7056) have the potential to differentiate tumor tissue from paracancerous
tissue; IL6 + VEGFA (AUC: 0.7531) are important protein markers potentially
responsible for tumor progression.