Construction of a five-gene-based prognostic model for relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R ALL) is a significant cause of mortality in children.
• Early identification of R/R ALL in pediatric patients remains a clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a prognostic risk assessment model for pediatric ALL.
• To identify key genes and molecular pathways associated with R/R ALL.

Main Methods:

• Genetic analysis of TARGET-ALL, GSE17703, and GSE6092 datasets to identify risk score factors.
• Construction of protein-protein interaction networks (PPI) and prediction of transcription factors.
• Screening of pyroptosis-related genes and generation of multifactorial ROC curves and nomograms.

Main Results:

• A prognostic risk model incorporating BAG2, EPHA4, FBXO9, SNX10, and WNK1 was developed and validated.
• Identified 27 differentially expressed genes, 10 hub genes, and 5 transcription factors.
• The risk score effectively predicted prognosis in pediatric ALL patients, as shown by ROC and DCA.

Conclusions:

• A novel risk prediction model for pediatric R/R ALL has been established.
• The model utilizes specific genes (BAG2, EPHA4, FBXO9, SNX10, WNK1) for risk stratification.
• This provides a scientific foundation for the early identification of R/R ALL in children.