Comprehensive Analysis of Tumor Immune Microenvironment Characteristics for the Prognostic Prediction and Immunotherapy of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Yijie Zhao; Dongyi Chen; Junhao Yin; Jian Xie; Chun-Yu Sun; Mengmeng Lu

doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.788580

Comprehensive Analysis of Tumor Immune Microenvironment Characteristics for the Prognostic Prediction and Immunotherapy of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Front Genet. 2022 Apr 8:13:788580. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.788580. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yijie Zhao¹, Dongyi Chen², Junhao Yin³, Jian Xie², Chun-Yu Sun^{3

4}, Mengmeng Lu¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Prosthodontics, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Tongji University, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Tooth Restoration and Regeneration, Shanghai, China.
³ Department of Oral Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common cancer of oral and maxillofacial region. A recent clinical research has shown that tumor immune microenvironment (TIME)cells are closely related to immunotherapy sensitivity and OSCC prognosis. Nonetheless, a comprehensive analysis of TIME in OSCC has not been reported. Methods: Bioinformatics and computational algorithms were employed to determine the significance of TIME cells in 257 OSCC patients. TIME scores were measured by three TIME models, and then used to evaluate the prognosis of OSCC patients. Results: High TIME score was characterized by better prognosis in OSCC patients less than 60 years old, overexpression of immunotherapy targets (e.g., PD-1 and CLTA-4), and higher T-cell activity to inhibit tumor growth. Besides, poor prognosis was associated with low time score. Conclusion: TIME score exhibited potential as a prognostic biomarker and an indicator in predict immunotherapeutic outcomes. Through the understanding of TIME model, this study can provide a better scheme for immunotherapy as the effective treatment of OSCC patients in the future.

Keywords: OSCC; biomarker; immunotherapy; prognosis; time score.