Development of a Nomogram and Use a of 7-Methylguanosine Methylation-Related miRNA Signature as a Prognostic Target in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive subtype of breast cancer with a dismal prognosis. 7-methylguanosine (m7G) methylation is a type of RNA modification closely correlated with tumour development. Methods: In this study bioinformatic tools were used to identify three differentially expressed m7G-methylation related genes associated with the prognosis of TNBC using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. In addition, miRNAs associated with these genes were screened, and 8 prognostic miRNAs were identified via multivariate and univariate regression analyses. An 8-miRNA signature was established, and all patients with TNBC in the TCGA cohort were divided into the low- and high-risk groups. Results: Compared with the high-risk group, the low-risk group had substantially prolonged survival (p < 0.001). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 1, 0.965, and 0.931 for predicting at 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival, respectively. Furthermore, based on univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, the risk score was identified as an independent predictor of overall survival (hazard ratio: >1, p < 0.01). A nomogram was constructed based on clinical information (including age, distant metastasis, tumour size, and lymph node metastasis) and risk scores, which had a concordance index of 0.96 and exhibited a favourable discriminatory performance. Conclusions: Our nomogram can facilitate individualized prediction of prognosis and clinical decision-making. Additionally, genes and miRNAs associated with m7G methylation serve as useful prognostic markers or therapeutic targets for TNBC.