Pan-Cancer Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis Identifies Common Hub Genes and Potential Therapeutic Targets in Breast, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancers

Cancer remains a major global health burden, and the identification of shared molecular mechanisms across different cancer types may support the discovery of broadly relevant biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This study aimed to perform an integrated bioinformatics analysis to identify common hub genes and enriched pathways across breast, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancers. Gene expression datasets were retrieved from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus and analyzed using GEO2R to identify differentially expressed genes. Common differentially expressed genes were subjected to protein-protein interaction analysis using the STRING database, followed by hub gene selection and functional enrichment analysis through Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analysis. Ten common hub genes, namely UBE2C, CDK1, CDC20, CCNB1, BIRC5, KIFC1, EPCAM, MUC1, KRT19, and TOP2A, were identified. These genes were primarily associated with cell cycle regulation, mitotic spindle organization, chromosome segregation, and cell division. KEGG analysis showed significant enrichment in the Cell Cycle and Oocyte Meiosis pathways. The findings suggest that these hub genes may serve as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets across multiple cancer types, although experimental validation is required to confirm their clinical relevance.