Prognostic Value of mRNA Expression in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Immune system dysfunction is associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) development and progression and immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated substantial survival benefits in platinum-refractory HNSCC; therefore, we examined the prognostic value of immune-related gene (IRG) expression in HNSCC. We analyzed the expression of 82 IRGs in 71 patients with HNSCC enrolled in a feasibility study for a prospective HNSCC biomarker-driven umbrella trial (Korean Cancer Study Group TRIUMPH study, NCT03292250). was identified as an independent prognostic factor and validated in GEO and TCGA database. mRNA expression was found to be an independent favorable prognostic factor in patients with HNSCC. Moreover, was found to affect genes and pathways associated with the immune response, while seven differentially expressed genes () were associated with expression. Samples with higher expression displayed higher tumor-infiltrating immune cell counts both in silico and in histological analysis. These findings will help in the development of more accurate prognostic tools and suggest CD200R1 modulation as a HNSCC immunotherapy.