Bmc Med Genomics
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As the sixth most common cancer worldwide, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) develops visceral metastases during the advanced stage of the disease and exhibits a low five-year survival rate. The importance of tumor microenvironment (TME) in tumor initiation and metastasis is widely recognized. In addition, accumulating evidence indicates that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is involved in crosstalk between TME and tumor cells. However, the lncRNA-associated regulators modulating the HNSCC microenvironment and progression remain largely unknown. ⋯ In summary, we ascertained a HNSCC male patient subgroup that displayed high ISs and good survival probability. We identified hundreds of genes with specific expression patterns in this HNSCC subgroup as well as a highly co-expressed lncRNA-mRNA module with great potential for the modulation of TIME of HNSCC. Our study provides evidence of a link between the lncRNA-associated gene network, TIME, and HNSCC progression, and highlights potential therapeutic targets for this disease.