Abstract
BACKGROUND: Signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPA) is an inhibitory receptor expressed in macrophages and a potential therapeutic target in cancers. This study aims to investigate the functional role of SIRPA in esophageal carcinoma (ESCA). METHODS: Based on the Oncomine and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, SIRPA expression and clinical value were determined. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to predict the mechanism underlying the oncogene role of SIRPA. Spearman's correlation analysis was used to analyze the effects of SIRPA on the molecular relationship and immune landscape. RESULTS: SIRPA was highly expressed across Oncomine and TCGA databases and correlated with poor overall survival and disease-specific survival. There was an expression difference among clinical characteristics. Functional annotation showed that cancer-related biological function and pathways were enriched in the high SIRPA expression group. Besides, SIRPA strongly and extensively affected the immune infiltrates. CONCLUSION: SIRPA might be an oncogene and a target of immunotherapy in ESCA.