Journal Article

Identification of tumor stemness and immunity related prognostic factors and sensitive drugs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Zhang, Xinyi, Zhang, Yinping, Zhang, Duoli, Li, Mingxing, Chen, Yu, Chen, Jie, Zhang, Junkai, Du, Fukuan, Deng, Shuai, Wu, Xu, Shen, Jing, Xiao, Zhangang, Zheng, Anfu, Zhao, Yueshui, Xiao, Mintao, Ye, Zhihua, Wen, Qinglian

2024

Overview

The presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) contributes significantly to treatment resistance in various cancers, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Despite this, the relationship between cancer stemness and immunity remains poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to identify potential immunotherapeutic targets and sensitive drugs for CSCs in HNSCC. Using data from public databases, we analyzed expression patterns and prognostic values in HNSCC. The stemness index was calculated using the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssgsea) algorithm, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was employed to screen for key stemness-related modules. Consensus clustering was then used to group samples for further analysis, and prognosis-related key genes were identified through regression analysis. Our results showed that tumor samples from HNSCC exhibited higher stemness indices compared to normal samples. WGCNA identified a module highly correlated with stemness, comprising 187 genes, which were significantly enriched in protein digestion and absorption pathways. Furthermore, we identified sensitive drugs targeting prognostic genes associated with tumor stemness. Notably, two genes, HLF and CCL11, were found to be highly associated with both stemness and immunity. In conclusion, our study identifies a stemness-related gene signature and promising drug candidates for CSCs of HNSCC. Additionally, HLF and CCL11, which are associated with both stemness and immunity, represent potential targets for immunotherapy in HNSCC.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 631/250/251 / 631/67/1536 / 631/67/71 / Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology / Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use / Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics / Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism / CCL11 / Drug delivery / Drug development / Drug resistance / Gene Expression Profiling / Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic - drug effects / Gene Regulatory Networks / Gene set enrichment analysis / Genes / Head & neck cancer / Head and neck carcinoma / Head and Neck Neoplasms - drug therapy / Head and Neck Neoplasms - genetics / Head and Neck Neoplasms - immunology / Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology / HLF / HNSCC / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / Immunity / Immunotherapy / Medical prognosis / multidisciplinary / Neoplastic Stem Cells - drug effects / Neoplastic Stem Cells - immunology / Neoplastic Stem Cells - metabolism / Neoplastic Stem Cells - pathology / Prognosis / Regression analysis / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Sensitive drugs / Squamous cell carcinoma / Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - drug therapy / Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - genetics / Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - immunology / Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - pathology / Stem cells / Treatment resistance / Tumor stemness / Tumors