Abstract
Ferroptosis is a novel discovered iron-dependent mode of regulated cell death (RCD) which characterized non-apoptosis. Researches have shown the effect of ferroptosis in the biological activities of tumors. But there is no relevant study showing the relationship between ferroptosis-related genes and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In this study, we paid attention to several ferroptosis-related lncRNAs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and its clinical features. HNSCC data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Ferroptosis-related lncRNAs were selected by the coexpression network. Then, we identified prognostic ferroptosis-related lncRNAs in HNSCC patients and constructed a ferroptosis-related lncRNAs signature by Lasso cox regression. Besides, GSEA analysis was performed to explore the functional enrichment of ferroptosis-related lncRNAs. Nine ferroptosis-related lncRNAs (AC004687.1, AL450992.2, AC010894.2, AL451085.2, AC104083.1, LIPE-AS1, AC108010.1, CTBP1-DT, and PTCSC2) were identified to have the independent prognostic value in HNSCC patients and the ferroptosis-related lncRNAs signature was constructed based on these nine genes. According to the risk score of the signature, the high-risk group had shorter overall survival (OS) compared with the low-risk group. Risk score showed to be an independent factor for the patients with HNSCC. Additionally, the nomogram was generated and the nine lncRNAs were mainly enriched in phagocytosis, metabolism, and chemokine signaling pathways. The ferroptosis-related lncRNA signature has effects on the prognostic prediction of patients with HNSCC which may serve as potential therapeutic targets for patients with HNSCC.