TERT promoter mutations or protein overexpression define an aggressive subset with favourable immunotherapeutic response in advanced urothelial carcinoma.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene promoter mutation (TPM) is a key non-coding somatic alteration in urothelial carcinoma (UC) that plays a critical role in telomerase activation. Despite its importance, the prognostic value of TPM has shown mixed results in previous studies.

Methods and analysis

This study included 155 UC patients from two local clinical centres and 1652 patients from four public datasets, along with matched clinical annotation. Immunohistochemistry of TERT and immune-related markers was performed on tissue microarrays, and transcriptomic and genomic data were analysed to evaluate immune microenvironment characteristics and mutational profiles associated with TPM. We assessed the association of TPM or TERT overexpression (OE) with

SUBMITTER: Jin K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11911668 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature