Pan-Cancer Upregulation of the FOXM1 Transcription Factor

Background: The human FOXM1 transcription factor controls cell cycle progression and genome stability, and it has been correlated to the onset and progression of many tumor types. Methods: In our study, we collected all recent sequence and quantitative transcriptomics data about FOXM1, testing its presence across vertebrate evolution and its upregulation in cancer, both in bulk tissue contexts (by comparing the TCGA tumor dataset and the GTEx normal tissue dataset) and in single-cell contexts. Results: FOXM1 is significantly and consistently upregulated in all tested tumor types, as well as in tumor cells within a cancer microenvironment. Its upregulation reverberates in the upregulation of its target genes and can be used as a biomarker for poor cancer outcome in at least four tumor types. Conclusions: Despite its lack of cancer-related mutations and amplifications, the recurring upregulation of FOXM1 in all tumors puts a focusing lens on this gene as a candidate pan-cancer master regulator.