Pain-Related PANoptosis Gene Signature Predicts Prognosis and Guides Therapy in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

IntroductionThis study aimed to develop a prognostic model based on pain-related PANoptosis genes to enhance therapeutic decision-making for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients.MethodsRNA sequencing data from 323 OSCC patients and 43 controls in the TCGA cohort were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Correlation analysis revealed pain-related PANoptosis genes, and a prognostic model was developed using Cox and LASSO regression and validated in the GSE42743 cohort. Immune microenvironment differences were assessed, and drug sensitivity was predicted. qRT-PCR was employed to validate gene expression alterations in OSCC tissues.ResultsAmong 2,253 DEGs, 38 overlapped with PANoptosis-related genes, leading to the identification of 37 pain-related PANoptosis genes that characterized two OSCC subtypes. A Pain-Related PANoptosis-gene model (including CA9, DEFB1, DES, IGLL5, LCE3D, LYNX1, SPINK7) achieved AUCs of 0.626 and 0.690 in the TCGA and validation cohorts, respectively. Significant immune microenvironment differences were noted, with high-risk patients showing immune characteristics associated with a more immunosuppressive environment. GSEA identified activated pathways like autophagy and chemokine signaling in high-risk patients.ConclusionsThe pain-related PANoptosis-gene model effectively stratifies OSCC patients by risk. Sepantronium bromide may represent a potential therapeutic candidate for high-risk patients; however, further experimental validation is required.