Necroptosis is Related to Anti-PD-1 Treatment Response and Influences the Tumor Microenvironment in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The latest research suggesting that necroptosis plays a vital role in immune response. However, the influence of necroptosis on tumor microenvironment (TME) remodeling and immunotherapy is still unclear. We analyzed the variations in the expression of 26 necroptosis-related molecules in HNSCC and the influence of genome changes. We investigated HNSCC samples and determined that there are two necroptosis phenotypes in HNSCC cancer, and there are significant differences in cell infiltration characteristics and survival in different necroptosis phenotypes. We used the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis to measure the level of necroptosis in patients with NecroticScore, we confirmed that the NecroticScore can predict the prognosis of HNSCC patients and the response to immunotherapy. Patients with a high NecroticScore are more sensitive to immunotherapy and have a better prognosis. Our study suggests a significant correlation between the expression imbalance of necroptosis-related molecules and suggests necroptosis plays an important role in modeling the TME. In addition, we construct a risk prediction model which could stratify patients with HNSCC and predict patient prognosis according to this necroptosis-related molecules. In conclusion, evaluating necroptosis modification patterns contributes to enhancing our understanding of TME and can guide more effective immunotherapy strategies.