Differential Expression of Glucocorticoid-Related Genes and Immune Cell Infiltration in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND

Effective therapies are lacking for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a malignancy with high incidence and frequent recurrence in Southeast Asia. Therefore, novel approaches for effective NPC treatment developed based on a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis are urgently needed. To this end, this study investigated glucocorticoid-related genes associated with NPC.

METHODS

In this study, bioinformatic analyses were performed using datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus, and 780 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 280 upregulated and 500 downregulated genes.

RESULTS

Among the results of the bioinformatic analyses, enrichment analysis of these glucocorticoid-related DEGs revealed their strong associations with critical biological processes, including monocyte chemotaxis, lymphocyte regulation, and the IL-17 signaling pathway. Meanwhile, nine core genes of interest were identified by protein-protein interaction network analysis. Immune cell infiltration analysis illustrated variations in the abundance of immune cell types within the tumor microenvironment in NPC.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed the important role of glucocorticoid-related genes in promoting NPC progression. Our findings provide a robust foundation for developing targeted therapeutic strategies for patients with NPC based on innovative biomarkers.