Progression Risk Assessment of Post-surgical Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Based on Circular RNA-Associated Competing Endogenous RNA Mechanisms

Background: Accurate risk assessment of post-surgical progression in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients is critical. Exploring key differentially expressed mRNAs (DE-mRNAs) regulated by circular RNAs (circRNAs) via the ceRNA mechanism could help establish a novel tool. Methods: network was established based on and correlation analysis. DE-mRNAs within associated with progression-free interval (PFI) PTC were identified to construct prognostic regulatory subnetwork. least absolute shrinkage selection operator (LASSO)–Cox regression applied identify hub DE-mRNA signature predicting PFI PTC. Results: Six DE-mRNAs, namely, CLCNKB, FXBO27, FXYD6, RIMS2, SPC24 , CDKN2A be most significantly related PTC, proposed. A nomogram incorporating clinical parameters improve which superior American Thyroid Association stratification system distant Metastasis, patient Age, Completeness resection, local Invasion, tumor Size (MACIS) score Joint Committee Cancer staging system. Conclusions: Based circRNA-associated RNA mechanism, established, may