Jiajing Li,1 Ting Zhang,2 Qi Liu,2 Qian Du3 

1The Diagnostics Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital to Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, 563000, People’s Republic of China; 2Affiliated Hospital to Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, 563000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Endoscopy and Digestive System, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, 550002, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Jiajing Li, Email 253480146@qq.com

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the role of CHAF1A in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression, focusing on its expression, co-expression genes, genomic alterations, promoter methylation, clinical relevance, prognostic value, and immune associations.
Methods: CHAF1A mRNA expression was analyzed using UALCAN. Co-expression genes and functions were explored via LinkedOmics. Genomic alterations were assessed using cBioPortal. Promoter methylation and clinical correlations were examined using GEO datasets. Prognostic significance was evaluated via Kaplan-Meier analysis. Immune cell infiltration and checkpoint gene associations were investigated.
Results: CHAF1A was significantly upregulated in HCC and involved in cancer-related pathways. Genomic alterations were prominent in T1-stage tumors, often linked to alcohol-related liver disease. Promoter methylation influenced HCC progression and prognosis. CHAF1A expression correlated with clinical characteristics (gender, stage, grade, etc.) and showed diagnostic potential (AUC = 0.795). High CHAF1A expression predicted poor prognosis across various subgroups and was positively associated with immune cell infiltration and checkpoint genes.
Conclusion: CHAF1A plays a critical role in HCC progression, with elevated expression linked to poor prognosis and immune modulation. These findings highlight its potential as a therapeutic target for HCC.

Keywords: CHAF1A, HCC, expression patterns, immune cell infiltration, gene