Abstract
PURPOSE: Heat shock proteins (HSPs) play important roles in oncogenesis and malignant progression. HSPB11 is highly expressed in many malignant tumors, but research on its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is insufficient. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A comprehensive analysis of HSPB11 in HCC was performed based on data of patients with HCC and those from online public databases. RESULTS: HSPB11 was overexpressed in HCC, with a high discrimination ability between tumor and normal tissues (area under the curve =0.923). HSPB11 overexpression correlated with advanced tumor stage, poorer tumor differentiation, and worse prognosis and was an independent risk factor for HCC prognosis. The nomogram and calibration models composed of HSPB11, T stage, and M stage had good abilities to predict the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of patients. HSPB11 was determined to be involved in multiple oncogenic processes, including cell cycle checkpoints, the G2M checkpoint, E2F targets, Rho GTPases, and KRAS signaling. HSPB11 expression was related to immune cell infiltration, especially that of Th2 cells and dendritic cells. CONCLUSION: HSPB11 is involved in oncogenesis and immune regulation in HCC and is a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.