An 8-DNA methylation signature predicts recurrence risk of cervical cancer

Purpose Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-associated mortalities in female worldwide. DNA methylation have been demonstrated to have a regulatory role in the progression and could be novel biomarkers to predict the recurrence of the disease. Methods DNA methylation and RNA expression data of cervical cancer were downloaded from TCGA. DMGs and DEGs were screened and extracted by correlation analysis. The SVM-based recurrence prediction model was established using the selected DMGs. Cox regression analysis and ROC analysis were used as self-evaluations. The GEO database was applied for external validation. Functional enrichment was determined by GO and KEGG analysis. Results The eight-DNA methylation signature could identify patients with a high risk of recurrence (AUC=0.833). The SVM score was an independent risk factor for recurrence (HR = 0.418; 95% CI: 0.26-0.67, p-value <0.05). The independent GEO database further supported the result. Conclusion The predictive function of the 8-DNA methylation signature for recurrence of cervical cancer was revealed in this study, which may help identify high-risk patients of recurrence and benefit the clinical treatment.