Comparative Analysis of Mutation Status and Immune Landscape for Squamous Cell Carcinomas at Different Anatomical sites

Abstract

Objective It has been controversial whether tumor mutation burden (TMB) affects the prognosis and the efficacy of immunotherapy in different tumor types. We provided a comprehensive analysis of mutation status and immune landscape of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from four sites in order to investigate the relationship of TMB with prognosis and immune cell infiltration in different SCCs. Methods The transcriptome profiles and somatic mutation data of SCCs downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (the Cancer Genome Atlas) database were analyzed and visualized. Then, TMB was calculated to analyze its correlations with prognosis and clinical features. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the high and low TMB groups were screened for functional enrichment analysis. CIBERSORT algorithm was used to compare differences of immune cell infiltration between two groups in different SCCs. In addition, immune DEGs associated with prognosis were identified and risk prediction model was constructed via Cox regression analysis. Results Missense mutation was the most dominant mutation type in SCCs. The difference was that the top10 mutated genes varied widely among different SCCs. High TMB group had better prognosis in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC), while the result was reverse in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In addition, patients with older age, smoking history, earlier pathological stage and no lymphatic invasion had higher TMB. The identified DEGs were mainly enriched in the regulation of immune system, muscular system and the activity of epidermal cells. The proportions of CD8+T cells, CD4+ memory T cells, follicular helper T cells, macrophages were distinct between two groups. The prognosis-related hub genes (CHGB, INHBA, LCN1 and VEGFC) screened were associated with poor prognosis. Conclusion This study reveals the mutation status and immune cell infiltration of SCCs at different anatomical sites. TMB is closely related to the prognosis of SCCs, and its effects on prognosis are diverse in different SCCs, which might result from the situation of immune cell infiltration. These findings contribute to the exploration of biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of immunotherapy in SCCs and providing innovative insights for accurate application of immunotherapy.