In conclusion, the DEGs and hub genes identified in the present study may aid in determining the molecular mechanisms associated with PCa carcinogenesis and progression.
Then, the nomogram was constructed based on the hub gene to predict the recurrence of prostate cancer, and the decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to compare the accuracy with the PSA and Gleason prediction models.
To explore potential associations between gene sets and PCa clinical features and to identify hub genes, we utilized WGCNA to construct gene co-expression networks incorporating the DEGs screened with the use of RRA.
Therefore, these hub genes might be the key genes contributed to tumor progression or metastasis in PCa and provide candidate therapeutic targets for PCa.
Our analysis revealed high negative correlation values between methylation frequencies and gene expressions of the hub genes, namely, <i>AR</i>, <i>CDH13</i>, <i>CDKN2A</i>, <i>DAPK1</i>, <i>CD44</i>, <i>GSTP1</i> and <i>RASSF1</i>, which can be used as potential diagnostic biomarkers for PCa.