Combining UBR5 and CD163+ tumor-associated macrophages better predicts prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients

Purpose Identification of reliable postoperative indicators for accurately evaluating prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients remains an important clinical issue. This study determined the prognostic value of UBR5 expression in ccRCC patients by combining with CD163(+) tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and the established clinical parameters. Methods The expression of UBR5 was analyzed in ccRCC patients from TCGA databases. A total of 310 ccRCC patients were randomly divided into the training and validation cohorts at a 3:2 or 1:1 ratio, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) and statistical analyses were performed to examine the prognostic value of UBR5 and CD163(+) TAMs. Results UBR5 expression was commonly downregulated in human ccRCC specimens, which was associated with TNM stage, SSIGN, WHO/ISUP Grading and poor prognosis of ccRCC patients. In addition, UBR5 expression was negatively correlated with CD163 expression (a TAM marker) in ccRCC tissues, and combining expressions of UBR5 and CD163 better predicted worse overall survival and progression-free survival of ccRCC patients. Even after multivariable adjustment, UBR5, CD163, TNM stage and SSIGN appeared to be independent risk factors. By time-dependent c-index analysis, the integration of intratumoral UBR5 and CD163 achieved higher c-index value than UBR5, CD163, TNM stage or SSIGN alone in predicting ccRCC patients' prognosis. Moreover, the incorporation of both UBR5 and CD163 into the clinical indicators TNM stage or SSIGN exhibited highest c-index value. Conclusions Integrating intratumoral UBR5 and CD163(+) TAMs with the current clinical parameters achieves better accuracy in predicting ccRCC patients' postoperative prognosis.

Automated summary

The study identified UBR5 as a potential prognostic indicator for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients, with downregulated expression associated with poor prognosis. Combining UBR5 expression with CD163(+) tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and clinical parameters improved accuracy in predicting postoperative prognosis, with UBR5 and CD163 showing potential as independent risk factors. Time-dependent c-index analysis indicated that integrating intratumoral UBR5 and CD163 provided higher prognostic value compared to individual factors or clinical parameters such as TNM stage or SSIGN in evaluating ccRCC patients' outcomes.