PRF1 is a prognostic marker and correlated with immune infiltration in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Cui Fan1, Haixia Hu1, Yilin Shen1
1Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 197 Ruijin 2nd Road, Shanghai 200025, People's Republic of China.
Purpose:
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a highly invasive malignancy with poor survival. Perforin (PRF1) plays essential roles in host immunity. Our research intended to identify the correlations of PRF1 with clinical prognosis and tumor immune infiltration in HNSCC.
Methods:
We explored PRF1 expression and its associations with the clinical features of HNSCC via the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), Oncomine and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. The prognostic value of PRF1 for HNSCC was further explored by Kaplan-Meier plotter and TIMER. Finally, the relation between PRF1 and immune infiltration in HNSCC was estimated via CIBERSORT and TIMER.
Results:
PRF1 expression was remarkably elevated in HNSCC and associated with clinical stage and HPV infection. High PRF1 expression predicted favorable outcomes in HNSCC, especially in HPV+ HNSCC. Moreover, higher infiltration of CD8+ T cells and CD4+ T cells were found in the PRF1high group of HNSCC. PRF1 expression in HNSCC was strongly correlated with infiltrating CD8+ T cells and dendritic cells (DCs), with higher relevance in HPV+ HNSCC.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggested that PRF1 could be a novel prognostic biomarker in HNSCC and that its expression was related to immune cell infiltration, which was impacted by HPV status.
