Construction of a competing endogenous RNA network in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by pan-cancer analysis.

BACKGROUND

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and new cases are anticipated to reach 1.08 million in 2030. Our study aimed to identify the competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) involved in HNSC tumorigenesis.

METHODS

First, a pan-cancer correlation analysis was conducted on the expression and survival conditions of sideroflexin () based on data downloaded from the Xena database. Second, the upstream regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) of were predicted using the Encyclopedia of RNA Interactomes (ENCORI) database. Expression and survival analyses were subsequently used to construct lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network that correlated with HNSC. Third, the proportion of various types of immune cells in HNSC was calculated using the CIBERSORT algorithm. Finally, a correlation analysis was performed on , including immune cell infiltration (ICI), clinical stage, and immune checkpoints.

RESULTS

The pan-cancer analysis suggested that was up-regulated in HNSC, and it correlated with poor prognosis. The ceRNA regulatory network MIR193BHG-miR-29c-3p- was identified as one of the potential biological regulatory pathways of HNSC. The upstream lncRNA MIR193BHG was associated with a poor prognosis in HNSC, and its target gene was correlated with tumor ICI, immune cell biomarkers, and immune checkpoints.

CONCLUSIONS

By performing ceRNA analysis, our study demonstrated that MIR193HG-miR-29c-3p- is significantly involved in HNSC, and this action axis markedly affect the therapeutic effect and prognosis.