TNFSF10 - a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for immunotherapy in testicular germ cell tumors

Sep 22, 2026

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Testicular germ cell tumors present a poor prognosis and lack reliable biomarkers for patient stratification and diagnosis. An integrated analysis combining Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing and TCGA data evaluates TNFSF10 as a prognostic and immunotherapy-related biomarker. Aberrant TNFSF10 expression associates with survival outcomes, and TNFSF10 silencing suppresses TGCT cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. TNFSF10 also correlates with tumor microenvironment components, supporting its value for targeted therapy and personalized treatment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Clinical treatment and unmet needs

Role of molecular and single-cell analyses

TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED 28 April 2026 DOI 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1761075 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Qiang Tang, Zhejiang University, China REVIEWED BY Xiangyang Yao, Shenzhen Second People ’s Hospital, China Shoukai Yu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China *CORRESPONDENCE Shusheng Zhang [zhangshusheng1972@yeah.net](zhangshusheng1972@yeah.net)[ ](zhangshusheng1972@yeah.net)Kongrong Xu [xxylyx123@sina.com](xxylyx123@sina.com)[ ](xxylyx123@sina.com)Lei Xue [xuelei@hnca.org.cn](xuelei@hnca.org.cn) RECEIVED 05 December 2025 REVISED 18 March 2026 ACCEPTED 30 March 2026 PUBLISHED 28 April 2026 CITATION Liu G, Du L, Lv S, Liu Z, Cao J, Fan L, Zhang S, Xu K and Xue L (2026) TNFSF10: a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for immunotherapy in testicular germ cell tumors. Front. Immunol. 17:1761075 . doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1761075 COPYRIGHT © 2026 Liu, Du, Lv, Liu, Cao, Fan, Zhang, Xu and Xue. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. TNFSF10: a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for immunotherapy in testicular germ cell tumors Guangmin Liu 1,2,3, Lin Du 4, Shanshan Lv 4, Zhizhong Liu 1,2, Jian Cao 5, Liqing Fan 2,4, Shusheng Zhang 6*, Kongrong Xu 7* and Lei Xue 1* 1 Department of Pathology, The Afﬁliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, China, 2 National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China, 3 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Dongying People’s Hospital, Dongying, China, 4Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha, China, 5 Department of Urology, the Afﬁliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, China, 6The First Hospital of Changsha, The Afﬁliated Changsha Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China, 7 Reproductive Medicine Center, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China Background: Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are malignant neoplasms with a poor prognosis, and the absence of reliable biomarkers for patient stratiﬁcation and diagnosis presents a signiﬁcant challenge. Methods: We employed an integrated analysis of Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing and TCGA data to evaluate TNFSF10 as a potential biomarker for prognosis and immunotherapy in TGCTs. Results: Our ﬁndings revealed that aberrant TNFSF10 expression was signiﬁcantly associated with patient survival outcomes. Silencing TNFSF10 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of TGCT cells, highlighting its role in tumor progression. Moreover, TNFSF10 expression was closely correlated with various components of the tumor microenvironment, suggesting its involvement in both the biological behavior of TGCTs and their response to treatment. Conclusion: TNFSF10 emerges as a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for stratiﬁcation and targeted therapy in TGCTs, offering new prospects for personalized treatment strategies. KEYWORDS immune cell inﬁltration, immunotherapy, prognostic marker, testicular germ cell tumor, TNFSF10 1 Introduction TGCTs are a broad category of tumors originating from the germinal epithelia of seminiferous tubules in the testes. The global incidence of TGCTs has gradual

FAQs

Why are biomarkers needed for testicular germ cell tumors in this research?

The study highlights poor prognosis and the absence of reliable biomarkers for patient stratification and diagnosis as major challenges.

How was TNFSF10 evaluated as a biomarker?

The authors used an integrated analysis of Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing data and TCGA data to assess TNFSF10 for prognosis and immunotherapy in TGCTs.

What effects did silencing TNFSF10 have on TGCT cells?

TNFSF10 silencing inhibited TGCT cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, indicating a role in tumor progression.

Sep 22, 2026

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