Identification and characterization of alternative exon usage linked glioblastoma multiforme survival

Background Alternative exon usage (AEU) is an important component of gene regulation. Exon expression platforms allow the detection of associations between AEU and phenotypes such as cancer. Numerous studies have identified associations between gene expression and the brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The few consistent gene expression biomarkers of GBM that have been reported may be due to the limited consideration of AEU and the analytical approaches used. The objectives of this study were to develop a model that accounts for the variations in expression present between the exons within a gene and to identify AEU biomarkers of GBM survival.