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

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the predictive utility of DNA methylation for cervical cancer recurrence. METHODS: DNA methylation and RNA expression data for patients with cervical cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Differentially methylated genes (DMGs) and differentially expressed genes were screened and extracted via correlation analysis. A support vector machine (SVM)-based recurrence prediction model was established using the selected DMGs. Cox regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were used for self-evaluation. The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was applied for external validation. Functional enrichment was determined using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses. RESULTS: An eight-gene DNA methylation signature identified patients with a high risk of recurrence (area under the curve = 0.833). The SVM score was an independent risk factor for recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.418; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.26–0.67). The independent GEO database analysis further supported the result. CONCLUSION: An eight-gene DNA methylation signature predictive of cervical cancer recurrence was identified in this study, and this signature may help identify patients at high risk of recurrence and improve clinical treatment.