Development and validation of a m6A-related gene signature for predicting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Background:This study aimed to investigate the prognostic role of m(6)A methylation regulators in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Materials & methods:Gene expression matrices were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), International Cancer Genome Consortium, and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis were utilized to determine the m(6)A risk genes.Results:Two m(6)A-related risk genes (YTHDF1, YTHDF2) were identified in the TCGA HCC cohort. The m(6)A-correlated risk score is an independent risk factor for the overall survival of the TCGA HCC cohort. Finally, we verified the reliability of our results using three external datasets.Conclusion:The m(6)A-correlated gene signature has prognostic value in HCC patients and thus provides guidance for the treatment of HCC.