Exploring the transcriptomic landscape of BLCA: SHTN1 as a key player in photodynamic therapy response

Background A high recurrence rate and a tendency to progress to more advanced, invasive stages characterize bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA), the ninth most common malignant tumor worldwide. Despite its potential, photodynamic therapy (PDT), a minimally invasive treatment, remains underutilized in BLCA management. This study focuses on identifying key genes that influence BLCA progression and prognosis, specifically in the context of PDT therapy. Methods According to the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we analyzed the mRNA expression profiles as well as clinical data for BLCA patients. Our approach included differential analysis, gene set intersection using GSEA databases, univariate regression analysis, and ROC curve plotting. Additionally, we validated our findings using BLCA patients' genes from the GEO dataset. To explore the role of SHTN1, we employed various methods such as GO, KEGG, GSEA, and GeneMANIA. We also examined the immunological environments associated with SHTN1 using tools like ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, ssGSEA, and ICB to compare SHTN1 subgroups. Results A positive correlation was found between SHTN1 expression and clinical stage and distant metastasis of BLCA, while a negative correlation was found between SHTN1 expression and patient survival. There were a number of genes associated with tumor formation and development in the high SHTN1-expressing group. Immune characteristics assessment using ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, and ssGSEA showed that the high SHTN1-expressing group showed improved immune characteristics. Conclusion According to our research, SHTN1 can both be a prognostic factor for BLCA and a therapeutic target.