Hypoxia-derived molecular subtype and gene signature characterize prognoses and therapeutic responses in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Intratumoral hypoxia is widely associated with the development of malignancy, treatment resistance, and worse prognoses. This study aims to investigate the role of hypoxia-related genes (HRG) in the immune landscape, treatment response, and prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The transcriptome and clinical data of HNSCC were downloaded from TCGA and GEO databases, and HNSCC molecular subtypes were identified using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) clustering. Prognostic models were constructed using univariate, Lasso, and multivariate Cox regression analyses. The relationship between HRGs and immune cell infiltration, immune therapy response, and drug sensitivity was evaluated, and a nomogram was constructed. 47 HRGs were differentially expressed in HNSCC, among which 10 genes were significantly associated with HNSCC prognosis. Based on these 10 genes, 2 HNSCC molecular subtypes were identified, which showed significant heterogeneity in terms of prognosis, immune infiltration, and treatment response. A total of 3280 differentially expressed genes were identified between the subtypes. After univariate, Lasso, and multivariate Cox regression analysis, 18 genes were selected to construct a novel prognostic model, which showed a significant correlation with B cells, T cells, and macrophages. Using this model, HNSCC was classified into high-risk and low-risk groups, which exhibited significant differences in terms of prognosis, immune cell infiltration, immune therapy response, and drug sensitivity. Finally, a nomogram based on this model and radiotherapy was constructed, which showed good performance in predicting HNSCC prognosis and guiding personalized treatment strategies. The decision curve analysis demonstrated its better clinical applicability compared to other strategies. HRGs can identify 2 HNSCC molecular subtypes with significant heterogeneity, and the HRG-derived risk model has the potential for prognostic prediction and guiding personalized treatment strategies.