Abstract
BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, yet there has been little attention given to the correlation between the cancer transcriptome and the incidence and mortality of lung cancer across different geographic regions. METHODS: To analyze this correlation, we screened the transcriptome datasets of stage I lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) patients from the Lung Cancer Explorer and examined their correlation with the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR). RESULTS: The expression difference rates (DRs) of certain genes (SPARCL1, SRPX, PMP22, MSR1, BST1, AKAP12, MAOB, vimentin, serglycin, ILK, ESD, transgelin, NCOA1, and PLPP1) were significantly negatively correlated with the ASIR of female LAC. Additionally, the DR of KRT19 was significantly positively correlated with the ASIR of female LAC. Furthermore, the DRs of COL10A1, SMAD7, COL3A1, and AQP1 were significantly positively correlated with the ASMR and MIR of female LAC, while the DR of KRT15 was significantly negatively correlated with the ASMR and MIR of female LAC. In male LAC patients, the DR of RGS2 was significantly negatively correlated with the ASIR, while the DRs of SPARCL1, COX7A1, IL3RA, and ADH1B were significantly positively correlated with the ASMR and MIR. Additionally, the DR of AIMP2 was significantly negatively correlated with the ASMR and MIR. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the expression levels of serglycin, ILK, ESD, and PLPD1 may play a significant role in the development of LAC. This information can be valuable for identifying potential treatment targets for lung cancer.