An Immune-Related Gene Prognostic Index for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Purpose:To construct an immune-related gene prognostic index (IRGPI) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and clarify the molecular and immune characteristics and the benefit of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in IRGPI-defined subgroups of HNSCC.Experimental Design:On the basis of The Cancer Genome Atlas HNSCC immune dataset (n = 546), 22 immune-related hub genes were identified by weighted gene coexpression network analysis. Three genes were identified to construct an IRGPI by using the Cox regression method and validated with the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset (n = 270). Afterward, the molecular and immune characteristics and the benefit of ICI therapy in IRGPI-defined subgroups were analyzed.Results:The IRGPI was constructed on the basis of SFRP4, CPXM1, and COL5A1 genes. IRGPI-high patients had a better overall survival than IRGPI-low patients, consistent with the results in the GEO cohort. The comprehensive results showed that a high IRGPI score was correlated with DNA repair–related pathways; low TP53 mutation rate; high infiltration of CD8 T cells, CD4 T cells, and M1 macrophages; active immunity and less aggressive phenotypes; and more benefit from ICI therapy. In contrast, a low IRGPI score was associated with cancer and metastasis-related pathways; high TP53 and PIK3CA mutation rate; high infiltration of B cells, M0 macrophages, and M2 macrophages; suppressive immunity and more aggressive phenotypes; and less benefit from ICI therapy.Conclusions:IRGPI is a promising biomarker to distinguish the prognosis, the molecular and immune characteristics, and the immune benefit from ICI therapy in HNSCC.

A Novel Prognostic Signature Based on Metabolism-Related Genes to Predict Survival and Guide Personalized Treatment for Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma

“…The immune cell infiltration in the TME plays important roles in the biological behaviors of HNSCC (45). We found patients with superior prognosis and low risk score had higher immune score by ssGSEA algorithm, as demonstrated in several previous studies (46,47).…”

An immune‐related seven‐lncRNA signature for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

“…Among the many mutant genes, the mutation rate of TP53 was significantly different between the two IRLPS subgroups. TP53 has been widely reported as a tumor suppressor gene and TP53 mutation has been widely confirmed to promote tumor progression and be related to poor prognosis 20‐22 . Consistent with our results, the high‐IRLPS patients with higher TP53 mutation (71%) had a worse outcome than the low‐IRLPS patients with lower TP53 mutation (62%).…”

YKT6 , as a potential predictor of prognosis and immunotherapy response for oral squamous cell carcinoma, is related to cell invasion, metastasis, and CD8+ T cell infiltration

“…8,[44][45][46] Though the ICB has been approved for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic carcinomas, it has limited benefits. [5][6][7]47 The genomic transcriptome reflects the heterogeneity of tumors and holds great promise for personalized therapeutics. 8 To gain insights into the mechanisms of OSCC progression and response to immunotherapy, WGCNA was conducted to explore key modules related to tumor metastasis and CD8 + T cell infiltration, followed by hub gene selection and survival analysis.…”