Identification of four genes associated with cutaneous metastatic melanoma
Ji Chen, Yuming Li, Kai Yang, Yanwei Gao, Yan Sha, Xiao Ying Dong, Xiaohong Liang, Zhongqin Cheng
Abstract
Abstract Background Cutaneous melanoma is an aggressive cancer with increasing incidence and mortality rates worldwide. Metastasis is one of the primary elements that influence the prognosis of patients with cutaneous melanoma. This study aims to clarify the potential mechanism underlying the low survival rate of metastatic melanoma and to search for novel target genes to improve the survival rate of patients with metastatic tumors. Methods Gene expression dataset and clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas portal. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and their functions were studied through gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses. Survival and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to screen out candidate genes that could affect the prognosis of patients with metastatic melanoma. Results After a series of comprehensive statistical analysis, 464 DEGs were identified between primary tumor tissues and metastatic tissues. Survival and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed four vital genes, namely, POU2AF1 , ITGAL , CXCR2P1 , and MZB1 , that affect the prognosis of patients with metastatic melanoma. Conclusion This study provides a new direction for studying the pathogenesis of metastatic melanoma. The genes related to cutaneous metastatic melanoma that affect the overall survival time of patients were identified.