Comprehensive analysis of a novel subtype of immune microenvironment-derived HPV-infected colorectal cancer

The current study proposed a novel subtype, Human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected colorectal cancer (CRC), to understand the impact of HPV on CRC.

We assessed the prevalence and clinical implications of HPV in CRC by integrating a single cohort in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital and public datasets. Differential gene, pathway enrichment, and immune infiltration analysis were conducted to explore the patterns in HPV-infected CRC. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction, cell proliferation, scratch, and flow cytometry assays were employed to validate the impact of HPV on CRC.

The study revealed a high prevalence of HPV infection in CRC, with infection rates ranging from 10% to 31%. There was also a significant increase in tumor proliferation in HPV-infected CRC. The study showed increased immune cell infiltration, including T cells, γδ T cells, cytotoxic cells, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in HPV-infected CRC (P < 0.05). Furthermore, our findings confirmed that HPV infection promoted M1 polarization. Our results demonstrated that low ISM2 expression was associated with a less advanced clinical stage (P < 0.001) and better survival outcomes (P = 0.039). Low ISM2 expression correlated with a strong tumor immune response, potentially contributing to the improved survival observed in HPV-infected CRC.

These findings provided a novel subtype of HPV-infected CRC. The subtype with a better prognosis showed a "hot" tumor immune microenvironment that may be responsive to immunotherapy.