The molecules in the first module (M1) were mainly composed of extracellular matrix (ECM) relevant proteins including FBLN5, NID1, NID2, COL4A2, TINAGL1, VWA1, and different chains of the laminin proteins (LAMA4, LAMB1, LAMC1)29, they showed high inter-correlations and possessed higher expression levels in the high RR groups than the other tumor samples (Fig. 4b, c), highlighting the key role of ECM interactions in PTC recurrence. This evidence concerns the gene VWA1 and neoplasm.