Abstract
Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a highly aggressive tumor. The mortality and drug resistance among it are high. Thus, exploring predictive biomarkers for prognosis has become a priority. We aimed to find immune cell-based biomarkers for survival prediction. Here 321 genes were differentially expressed in immune-related groups after ESTIMATE analysis and differential analysis. Two hundred nineteen of them were associated with the metastasis of SKCM via weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Twenty-six genes in this module were hub genes. Twelve of the 26 genes were related to overall survival in SKCM patients. After a multivariable Cox regression analysis, we obtained six of these genes (PLA2G2D, IKZF3, MS4A1, ZC3H12D, FCRL3, and P2RY10) that were independent prognostic signatures, and a survival model of them performed excellent predictive efficacy. The results revealed several essential genes that may act as significant prognostic factors of SKCM, which could deepen our understanding of the metastatic mechanisms and improve cancer treatment.