Figure 2.

Represents the filtering methods employed to identify the potential candidate genes. The upper part shows the gene expression during clinical follow-up, including pre-surgery, post-surgery, and tumor recurrence phases. The lower part shows the start of the gene selection process comprising the total number of detected mRNAs and miRNAs expressed in both tumor and blood before surgery. Subsequently, mRNAs and miRNAs exhibiting at least 2-fold downregulation post-surgery compared to pre-surgery levels (fold change, FC ≤ 0.5) were selected. Following tumor recurrence, which can occur over different periods, these candidate genes are expected to return to pre-surgery levels or even exceed them (FC ≥ 1). Abbreviation: DGE = differential gene expression.