A three-gene vasculogenic mimicry-related signature for prognostic stratification of patients with skin cutaneous melanoma
Yanan Guo, Qing Liu, Wei Zhang, Bosen You, Bingmei LiuAbstract
Objective
Cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a highly aggressive malignancy associated with poor prognosis. This study aimed to develop a vasculogenic mimicry-related gene (VMRG) signature for individualized prognostic stratification and survival prediction in patients with SKCM.
Methods
A total of 42 VMRGs were collected from the published literature. Transcriptomic data from 813 normal skin samples and 471 SKCM samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression project (GTEx) databases. Differential expression analysis and univariate Cox regression analysis were performed to identify prognostically relevant VMRGs. Five candidate prognostic VMRGs were identified, and a three-VMRG prognostic signature was constructed using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression followed by multivariate Cox regression analysis.
Results
SKCM patients were stratified into high- and low-risk groups according to the three-VMRG signature. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated the prognostic performance of the signature. Multivariate analysis further identified the VMRG signature as an independent predictor of prognosis, and the signature was subsequently incorporated into a prognostic nomogram. In addition, the relationships between the risk signature and survival outcomes, clinicopathological characteristics, and the tumor immune microenvironment were systematically investigated.
Conclusions
The three-VMRG prognostic signature may serve as an independent prognostic indicator for patients with SKCM and facilitate individualized risk stratification. Its close association with the tumor immune microenvironment further suggests a potential link between vasculogenic mimicry-related molecular alterations and immune regulation in SKCM, providing a theoretical basis for future mechanistic and immunotherapy-related studies.