Exploring key genes and prognostic validation of prostate cancer through transcriptome-wide association study

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most common malignant tumors among men worldwide. Although treatment methods for localized PC are relatively well-established, challenges remain due to difficulties in early diagnosis and issues with treatment resistance. This study combines genome-wide association study (GWAS) data with tissue-specific expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data through a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) to explore key genes associated with PC. The study also includes differential expression analysis and survival analysis to further verify these findings. A total of 46 candidate genes were identified, and survival analysis using the Cancer Genome Atlas Prostate Adenocarcinoma (TCGA-PRAD) dataset revealed that the upregulation of asparagine synthetase (ASNS) is associated with poor prognosis, while the downregulation of sulfatase modifying factor 2 (SUMF2) is linked to adverse prognosis. The results suggest that ASNS and SUMF2 play important roles in the progression of PC and may serve as candidate prognostic biomarkers associated with PC progression.