Identification of HOXB9 to predict prognosis of endometrial cancer based on comprehensive bioinformatics analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background The HOXB9 gene, which plays a key role in embryonic development, is also involved in the regulation of various human cancers. However, the potential relationship between HOXB9 and endometrial cancer (EC) has not yet been comprehensively analyzed and fully understood. Methods We used multiple bioinformatics tools to explore the role of HOXB9 in EC. Results The expression of HOXB9 was significantly upregulated in pan-cancer, including EC (P 60 years, and high expression of HOXB9 were risk factors strongly associated with OS in EC patients (P < 0.05). Therefore, six factors were incorporated to construct a nomogram for survival prediction. Finally, we used the Kaplan-Meier (KM) curve, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and time-dependent ROC to assess predictive power of HOXB9. KM curve showed EC patients overexpressing HOXB9 had a worse OS. AUC of diagnostic ROC was 0.880. AUCs of time-dependent ROC were 0.602, 0.591, and 0.706 for 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year survival probabilities (P < 0.001). Conclusions Our study provids new insights into the diagnosis and prognosis of HOXB9 in EC and constructs a model that can accurately predict the prognosis of EC.

Keywords

• Endometrial cancer
• HOXB9
• TCGA
• Bio-informatics analysis
• Prognosis
• Nomogram