Study of an N6-methyladenosine- and ferroptosis-related prognostic model and the mechanisms underlying the molecular network in neuroblastoma based on multiple datasets

Recent research highlights the pivotal role of N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) modification and ferroptosis in the evolution of various cancers. This study aimed to establish a prognostic framework centered on genes associated with m⁶A and ferroptosis to enhance the accuracy of prognosis predictions for neuroblastoma (NB) patients, thereby improving targeted therapeutic strategies. Patient data, including expression profiles and clinical information from NB cases, were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Genes related to m⁶A modification and ferroptosis were identified, and those significant for prognosis were pinpointed using a combination of Cox regression analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression. For further validation, the study utilized external datasets GSE62564 and GSE85047. A prognostic index was computed for each NB patient, followed by analyses of immune cell infiltration and potential drug responsiveness based on the prognostic model. Additionally, enrichment analysis was conducted on the prognostic scores. These scores showed a strong association with the tumor immune environment and the efficacy of prevalent cancer therapies. Moreover, the model's prognostic score emerged as an independent predictive marker for NB. This research succeeded in creating and confirming a prognostic model rooted in m⁶A and ferroptosis-linked genes, promising to enrich the prognostic understanding and treatment approaches for NB.