AUTHOR=Ma Ben , Jiang Hongyi , Luo Yi , Liao Tian , Xu Weibo , Wang Xiao , Dong Chuanpeng , Ji Qinghai , Wang Yu 

TITLE=Tumor-Infiltrating Immune-Related Long Non-Coding RNAs Indicate Prognoses and Response to PD-1 Blockade in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.692079

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2021.692079

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in immune cells play critical roles in tumor cell–immune cell interactions. This study aimed to characterize the landscape of tumor-infiltrating immune-related lncRNAs (Ti-lncRNAs) and reveal their correlations with prognoses and immunotherapy response in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We developed a computational model to identify Ti-lncRNAs in HNSCC and analyzed their associations with clinicopathological features, molecular alterations, and immunotherapy response. A signature of nine Ti-lncRNAs demonstrated an independent prognostic factor for both overall survival and disease-free survival among the cohorts from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, The Cancer Genome Atlas, GSE41613, and GSE42743. The Ti-lncRNA signature scores in immune cells showed significant associations with <italic>TP53</italic> mutation, <italic>CDKN2A</italic> mutation, and hypoxia. Inferior signature scores were enriched in patients with high levels of PDCD1 and CTLA4 and high expanded immune gene signature (IGS) scores, who displayed good response to PD-1 blockade in HNSCC. Consistently, superior clinical response emerged in melanoma patients with low signature scores undergoing anti-PD-1 therapy. Moreover, the Ti-lncRNA signature was a prognostic factor independent of PDCD1, CTLA4, and the expanded IGS score. In conclusion, tumor-infiltrating immune profiling identified a prognostic Ti-lncRNA signature indicative of clinical response to PD-1 blockade in HNSCC.</p>