Li Y, Wang C, Gao Y, et al. - PIK3CA (phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha) was revealed as a potential biomarker for prognosis correlated with immune infiltrates in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC). A poor overall survival was observed in relation to downregulation of PIK3CA in KIRC tissues and low PIK3CA expression (AUC = 0.775).

• Bioinformatics analysis and qRT-PCR were performed.

• PIK3CA mRNA expression downregulation was suggested in subgroup analyses of KIRC tissue based on gender, tumor grade, and cancer stage.

• A better overall survival, progression-free survival, and disease-free survival was experienced by KIRC patients with high PIK3CA expression.

• A predictive nomogram was developed and showed that for 3-year and 5-year overall survival rates, calibration plots were predicted relatively well, vs an ideal model in the TCGA KIRC cohort.

• A significant link of PIK3CA expression with the abundance of immune cells and immune biomarker sets was revealed.

• Mainly, PIK3CA and associated genes were related to immune response and the JAK-STAT signaling pathway.