Fig. 6

Construction of the prognostic ceRNA sub-network and the prognostic model. (a) Prognostic ceRNA sub-network constructed from 3 mRNAs, 4 miRNAs, and 14 lncRNAs. Each rectangle represents a gene, and the size of the rectangle indicates the degree of connectivity. (b) Relationship between RNA expression in prognostic ceRNA sub-networks and clinical staging of thyroid cancer patients. Each column in the box-line plot represents a gene, with the gene name at the top. Genes associated with clinical stages are marked with an asterisk (*). Statistical significance is indicated as follows: *** P < 0.001, ** P < 0.01, * P < 0.05. Genes with no significant correlation to clinical stages are unmarked. Green boxes indicate patients in stages I-II, and red boxes indicate patients in stages III-IV.