TY - JOUR AB - Of the different types of lung cancer, lung squamous cell cancer (LUSC) has the second highest rates of morbidity and mortality, which have been increasing in recent years. Epigenetic abnormalities may serve as potential biomarkers and diagnostic and/or therapeutic targets, which may help to monitor and improve the prognosis of patients with cancer. In the present study, data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database and survival and joint survival analyses were conducted using the R MethylMix package. Peptidase, mitochondrial processing a subunit pseudogene 1 (PMPCAP1), sosondowah ankyrin repeat domain family member C (SOWAHC) and zinc finger protein (ZNF) 454 were identified as independent prognosis‑related hub methylation‑driven genes (MDGs). Of these three genes, PMPCAP1 and SOWAHC, characterized by hypomethylation and high expression levels, were associated with poor prognosis in patients with LUSC, whilst ZNF454 was associated with an improved prognosis. In addition, pathway enrichment analysis suggested that PMPCAP1, SOWAHC and ZNF454 were primarily involved in gene expression or transcription pathways. Furthermore, 5, 1 and 10 key methylation sites of PMPCAP1, SOWAHC and ZNF454, respectively, were confirmed to be significantly relevant to gene expression, establishing a basis for further investigation into the mechanisms and more precise targets of these 3 genes. In conclusion, the MDGs PMPCAP1, SOWAHC and ZNF454 may be potential prognostic biomarkers of LUSC for guiding diagnosis and therapy options, as well as providing a theoretical basis for further investigation. AD - School of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Jinan‑Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong 250022, P.R. China Department of Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong 250117, P.R. China Department of Oncology, Yun Cheng Country People's Hospital, Heze, Shandong 274700, P.R. China Department of Oncology, Chang Qing District People's Hospital, Jinan, Shandong 250300, P.R. China Basic Laboratory, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong 250117, P.R. China AU - Zhu,Qingqing AU - Wang,Jia AU - Zhang,Qiujing AU - Wang,Fuxia AU - Fang,Lihua AU - Song,Bao AU - Xie,Chao AU - Liu,Jie DA - 2020/03/01 DO - 10.3892/mmr.2020.10933 EP - 1295 IS - 3 JO - Mol Med Rep KW - lung squamous cell carcinoma methylation‑driven genes The Cancer Genome Atlas MethylMix biomarker prognosis PY - 2020 SN - 1791-2997 1791-3004 SP - 1285 ST - Methylation‑driven genes PMPCAP1, SOWAHC and ZNF454 as potential prognostic biomarkers in lung squamous cell carcinoma T2 - Molecular Medicine Reports TI - Methylation‑driven genes PMPCAP1, SOWAHC and ZNF454 as potential prognostic biomarkers in lung squamous cell carcinoma UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2020.10933 VL - 21 ER -