GEPIA-Based Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes and Prognostic Biomarkers in Skin Cutaneous Melanoma

[Objective] To explore the differential gene expression profiles between skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) and normal tissues using bioinformatics methods, and to evaluate their predictive value for patient survival and prognosis. [Methods] Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between tumor and normal tissues were identified using the GEPIA database. The correlation between key gene expression and overall survival was analyzed.[Results] A total of 6,457 significantly upregulated genes (FDR < 0.05) were identified. The top 10 genes with the highest expression levels included PRAME, RP11-40C6.2, SERPINE2, SDC3, UBE2SP2, ETV5, PLOD3, EIF5AP4, UBE2S, and HNRNPCP2. Survival analysis revealed that the expression levels of EIF5AP4, UBE2S, and SERPINE2 were significantly associated with clinical prognosis. Specifically, high EIF5AP4 expression was significantly associated with shortened disease-free survival (DFS), while high UBE2S expression was significantly associated with reduced overall survival (OS) and DFS. In contrast, high SERPINE2 expression was significantly associated with prolonged OS and DFS.[Conclusion] This study suggests that UBE2S and EIF5AP4 may function as oncogenic factors promoting SKCM progression, whereas SERPINE2 may play a protective role. The combined expression of these three genes may serve as a novel molecular signature for prognostic evaluation in SKCM.