Identification and Validation of a Novel Six-Gene Prognostic Signature of Stem Cell Characteristic in Colon Cancer

Yichao Liang; Qi Su; Xin Wu

doi:10.3389/fonc.2020.571655

Identification and Validation of a Novel Six-Gene Prognostic Signature of Stem Cell Characteristic in Colon Cancer

Front Oncol. 2021 Feb 19:10:571655. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2020.571655. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Yichao Liang¹, Qi Su¹, Xin Wu¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of General Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.

Abstract

Cancer stem cells play crucial roles in the development of colon cancer (COAD). This study tried to explore new markers for predicting the prognosis of colon cancer based on stem cell-related genes. In our study, 424 COAD samples from TCGA were divided into three subtypes based on 412 stem cell-related genes; there were significant differences in prognosis, clinical characteristics, and immune scores between these subtypes. 694 genes were screened between subgroups. Subsequently a six-gene signature (DYDC2, MS4A15, MAGEA1, WNT7A, APOD, and SERPINE1) was established. This model had strong robustness and stable predictive performance in cohorts of different platforms. Taken together, the six-gene signature constructed in this study could be used as a novel prognostic marker for COAD patients.

Keywords: colon adenocarcinoma; molecular subtype; prognostic marker; six-gene signature; stem cell.