Biochem Biophys Rep. 2026 Mar 16;46:102537. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2026.102537. eCollection 2026 Jun.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although studies have shown that the androgen receptor (AR) is associated with tumor progression and malignant regulation, its role in the tumor immune microenvironment and predictive value for prognosis and immunotherapy response in various cancer types have not been systematically analyzed.

METHODS: In this paper, multi-omics techniques was used to analyze AR comprehensively.

RESULTS: A comprehensive pan-cancer analysis revealed that the AR was expressed in a variety of tumors, especially as a risk factor for poor prognosis in gastric cancer. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis showed that the AR promotes cell proliferation and tumor cell invasion and regulates anti-tumor response. Immune score, immune cell infiltration, and anticancer immune cycle analysis showed that high AR levels were correlated with low infiltration of CD4⁺ T cells and NKT cells, high infiltration of Th2 cells and MDSCs, negatively correlated with antigen-presenting molecules, and positively correlated with various immune-negative regulatory molecules. Single-cell sequencing highlighted the heterogeneous expression of ARs in different cell types, particularly in epithelial cells, where high AR levels were associated with the enhanced activity of tumor-promoting pathways.

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study highlights the potential of the AR as a novel biomarker for gastric cancer prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy, expanding its applicability in the development of new antitumor drugs.

PMID:41890218 | PMC:PMC13014673 | DOI:10.1016/j.bbrep.2026.102537