Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39825223›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2025

Pan-cancer analysis shows that TNFSF4 is a potential prognostic and immunotherapeutic biomarker for multiple cancer types including liver cancer.

Zhaoda Deng, Lincheng Li, Zihe Meng, Guineng Zeng, Rui Cao, Rong Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Zhaoda Deng *Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China.
Lincheng Li *Department of Surgery, Second Mobile Corps Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, Wuxi, China.
Zihe Meng *Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China.
Guineng ZengFaculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China.
Rui CaoInner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China.
Rong LiuMedical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China. liurong301@126.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAs a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily, tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 4 (TNFSF4) is expressed on antigen-presenting cells and activated T cells by binding to its receptor TNFRSF4. However, tumorigenicity of TNFSF4 has not been studied in pan-cancer. Therefore, comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of pan-cancer was performed to determine the mechanisms through which TNFSF4 regulates tumorigenesis.

methodsRNA-seq data for 33 cancers were analyzed from UCSC XENA database. Online websites and databases were used to investigate TNFSF4's biological function, epigenetic modifications, genetic alterations, and tumor immunity. Furthermore, cell phenotype experiment and tumor xenotransplantation experiment were performed to determine the biological functions of TNFSF4.

resultsThe pan-cancer analysis showed that TNFSF4 was upregulated in several tumors. Significant relationships between TNFSF4 expression and single-cells data were also observed in numerous cancer types. TNFSF4 expression correlated with the expression of immune checkpoint genes and could influence various drug sensitivity. Vitro and vivo experiments showed that TNFSF4 could promote the development and progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).

conclusionsTNFSF4 was upregulated in multiple cancer types and promoted the development and progression of cancers through several mechanisms including regulation of the tumor-infiltration of immune cells. Our study shows that TNFSF4 is a promising prognostic and immunotherapeutic biomarker in some malignant tumors.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorLiver NeoplasmsNeoplasmsOX40 LigandAnimalsCarcinoma, HepatocellularCell Line, TumorComputational BiologyGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansImmunotherapyMicePrognosisBiomarkers, TumorOX40 LigandTNFSF4 protein, humanAnimal experimentImmunotherapeutic biomarkerPan-cancer analysisPrognostic biomarkerTNFSF4

Identifiers

PMID39825223
PMCPMC11740393

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.