Early changes in gene expression of the entire pathological process in Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

In this study, we aimed to explore the time-course relating to the pathological progression of Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and to identify the early changes in gene expression. The raw microarray data of CTCL was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and a weighted gene coexpression network analysis was performed. A total of 2183 genes that positively correlated with the time course of CTCL development were identified in as part of the turquoise module as well as 1096 genes negatively correlated with the time course of CTCL development, which was identified in the blue module. To better understand the effects of these genes on prognosis, we further performed the Spearman correlation analysis, univariate Cox regression analysis, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. We identified 10 differentially expressed genes whose expression was significantly associated with prognosis in patients with CTCL. Our findings can help our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of CTCL as well as the development of novel drugs.