Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China.
World J Surg Oncol. 2022 Aug 17;20(1):259. doi: 10.1186/s12957-022-02713-z.
CXC chemokine receptor gene family consists of seven well-established members which are broadly involved in biological functions of various cancers. Currently, limited studies have shed light on the expression profile of CXCR family members (CXCRs), as well as their prognostic value, in head and neck squamous cells carcinoma (HNSCC).
The data for this study were retrieved from the Cancer Genome Atlas database and other publicly available databases, including gene expression, methylation profiles, clinical information, immunological features, and prognoses. The expression pattern and prognostic values of CXCRs were identified, and the potential mechanism underlying CXCRs function in HNSCC was investigated by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA).
CXCRs were differentially expressed in HNSCC. As shown by Kaplan-Meier analysis, high CXCR3-6 expression was significantly associated with better prognostic outcomes of HNSCC patients, including overall survival and progression-free survival. According to the results of univariate and multivariate Cox proportional risk regression analysis, it was demonstrated that upregulation of CXCR3-6 was an independent factor for better prognosis, while the two other clinical features, age and stage, were factors for worse prognosis. A significant positive correlation between CXCR3-6 and tumor-infiltrated immune cells was revealed by results from Tumor Immune Estimation Resource and CIBERSORT analysis database. The main involvement of CXCRs in immune and inflammatory responses was further confirmed by GSEA.
Overall, this study provided a rationale for targeting CXCRs as a promising therapeutic strategy of HNSCC.
CXC 趋化因子受体基因家族由七个已确立的成员组成，广泛参与各种癌症的生物学功能。目前，有限的研究已经揭示了 CXCR 家族成员（CXCRs）的表达谱及其在头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）中的预后价值。
本研究的数据来自癌症基因组图谱数据库和其他公开可用的数据库，包括基因表达、甲基化谱、临床信息、免疫特征和预后。通过基因集富集分析（GSEA）鉴定了 CXCRs 的表达模式和预后价值，并研究了 CXCRs 在 HNSCC 中的潜在功能机制。
CXCRs 在 HNSCC 中差异表达。Kaplan-Meier 分析显示，CXCR3-6 高表达与 HNSCC 患者的预后良好显著相关，包括总生存期和无进展生存期。单因素和多因素 Cox 比例风险回归分析结果表明，CXCR3-6 的上调是预后良好的独立因素，而年龄和分期这两个临床特征是预后较差的因素。肿瘤免疫评估资源和 CIBERSORT 分析数据库的结果显示，CXCR3-6 与肿瘤浸润免疫细胞之间存在显著的正相关。GSEA 进一步证实了 CXCRs 主要参与免疫和炎症反应。
总的来说，本研究为靶向 CXCRs 作为 HNSCC 有前途的治疗策略提供了依据。
