TCGA-DATA.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is a prevalent and aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis, underscoring the need for novel biomarkers and therapeutic strategies. This study investigates the role of C16orf74 as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in HNSC. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that C16orf74 is significantly overexpressed in HNSC and is associated with advanced disease stages, therapy resistance, and shorter overall and progression-free survival. A prognostic nomogram integrating C16orf74 expression with clinicopathological features demonstrated robust predictive performance. Functional enrichment and immune infiltration analyses suggest that high C16orf74 expression might contribute to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment by reducing key immune cell populations, such as B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells, which are critical for anti-tumor immunity. Moreover, C16orf74 expression was inversely associated with immune checkpoint expression and immunotherapy response, highlighting its potential as a predictive biomarker for immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) efficacy. Drug sensitivity analyses identified potential therapeutic agents, including arsenic trioxide, carmustine, vincristine, quercetin, and carboplatin for patients with high C16orf74 expression. These findings highlight the potential of C16orf74 as a biomarker and therapeutic target to improve HNSC management.

头颈部鳞状细胞癌（Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, HNSC）是一种高发且侵袭性强的恶性肿瘤，预后较差，凸显了开发新型生物标志物与治疗策略的迫切需求。本研究探讨了C16orf74作为头颈部鳞状细胞癌潜在诊断及预后生物标志物的作用。生物信息学分析显示，C16orf74在头颈部鳞状细胞癌组织中显著高表达，且与疾病晚期、治疗耐药以及更短的总生存期和无进展生存期密切相关。整合C16orf74表达水平与临床病理特征的预后列线图（nomogram）展现出优异的预测性能。功能富集分析与免疫浸润分析结果表明，高表达C16orf74可能通过减少B细胞、T细胞、自然杀伤细胞等关键免疫细胞群，构建免疫抑制性肿瘤微环境，而这些免疫细胞对抗肿瘤免疫至关重要。此外，C16orf74的表达水平与免疫检查点分子表达及免疫治疗应答呈负相关，这凸显了其作为免疫检查点阻断（immune checkpoint blockade, ICB）疗效预测生物标志物的潜力。药物敏感性分析筛选出了针对C16orf74高表达患者的潜在治疗药物，包括三氧化二砷、卡莫司汀、长春新碱、槲皮素与卡铂。本研究结果凸显了C16orf74作为生物标志物与治疗靶点的潜力，有望改善头颈部鳞状细胞癌的临床管理。