A hypoxia‐related lncRNA model for prediction of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma prognosis

Abstract

Background Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common and highly heterogeneous malignancies worldwide. Increasing studies have proven that hypoxia and related long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) are involved in the occurrence and prognosis of HNSCC. The goal of this work is to construct a risk assessment model using hypoxia‐related lncRNAs (hrlncRNAs) for HNSCC prognosis prediction and personalized treatment. Methods Transcriptome expression matrix, clinical follow‐up data, and somatic mutation data of HNSCC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We used co‐expression analysis to identify hrlncRNAs, then screened for differentially expressed lncRNAs (DEhrlncRNAs), and paired these DEhrlncRNAs. The risk model was established through univariate, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and stepwise multivariate Cox regression. Finally, we assessed the model from multiple perspectives of tumor mutation burden (TMB), tumor immune infiltration, chemotherapeutic sensitivity, immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), and functional enrichment. Results The risk assessment model included 14 hrlncRNA pairs. The risk score was observed to be a reliable prognostic factor. The high‐risk patients had an unfavorable prognosis and significant differences from the low‐risk group in TMB and tumor immune infiltration. In the high‐risk patients, the common immune checkpoints were down‐regulated, including CTLA4 and PDCD1, and the sensibility to paclitaxel and docetaxel was higher. The functional enrichment analysis suggested that the low‐risk group was accompanied by activated immune function. Conclusions The risk assessment model of 14‐hrlncRNA‐pairs demonstrated a promising prognostic prediction for HNSCC patients and can guide personalized clinical treatment.

Establishment and validation of a redox-related long non-coding RNAs prognostic signature in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

“…Notablely, we found that the patients in high-risk cohort might have a stronger sensitivity to “docetaxel”. Similar studies have shown that the sensibility to “docetaxel” was higher in the high-risk patients in HNSCC based on a hypoxia-related lncRNA model and a cuproptosis-related lncRNA signature 57 , 58 . Wei Zhang et al revealed that lncRNA LINC00184 could promote “docetaxel” resistance and immune escape in prostate cancer cells and lead to an increase in PD-L1 expression 59 .…”

Hypoxia-Regulated lncRNA USP2-AS1 Drives Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression

“…For example, lncRNA HIFCAR/MIR31HG promotes HNSCC progression by modulating the transcriptional activity of HIF1α [ 36 , 37 ]. In addition, Xiang et al reported 14 hypoxia-regulated lncRNA signatures that could be used for prognosis prediction [ 38 ]. USP2-AS1 has been reported to be possibly regulated by MYC [ 27 ].…”

Multi-omics characterization of a scoring system to quantify hypoxia patterns in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

“…9 Multiple studies reported that hypoxia related genes are associated with tumor progression, metastasis and tumor sensitivity to treatments, such as colorectal cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and brain tumors. [10][11][12][13] As for HNSCC, Xiang et al 14 demonstrated a hypoxia-related lncRNA signature to predict survival and guide personalized clinical treatment. Recently, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a powerful tool to explore single-cell expression patterns in bulk tumor tissue, making it possible to understand immune cellular heterogeneity and the relationship between the microenvironment crosstalk and cancer.…”