Pan-Cancer Analysis of KANK2: Clinical and Molecular Insights into Tumor Progression and Therapeutic Implications.

BACKGROUND: KANK2, a gene crucial for cell migration and movement, is implicated in neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. This study aimed to analyze KANK2's expression and its diagnostic and prognostic significance across 33 cancers using multiple online databases. METHODS: This study aimed to comprehensively analyze KANK2 in 33 cancers using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database. Multiple web platforms and software were used for data analysis, including R, Cytoscape, HPA, TISIDB, UALCAN, GEO, cBioPortal, STRING, GSCALite, and CancerSEA. WB and qPCR experiments were used to verify the results. RESULTS: KANK2 is widely expressed in various tissues and has significant diagnostic value in multiple cancers, with AUC values exceeding 0.75 in 13 cancer types. Survival analysis indicated that KANK2 expression is significantly associated with overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) in several cancers. KANK2 expression varied significantly across different molecular and immune subtypes and was associated with specific genetic mutations and DNA methylation patterns. Functional state analysis highlighted correlations with processes such as EMT, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. GSEA identified pathways related to proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix remodeling. The key interacting proteins were identified by PPI network analysis, and the sensitive drug molecules were found by GSCA database. The results were also confirmed by two GEO datasets and WB and qPCR results. CONCLUSION: KANK2 serves as a valuable biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis in various cancers, and its expression is intricately linked to multiple molecular and cellular processes, offering potential therapeutic targets for future research.