Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40119021›Full record

ArticleDiscover oncology2025

Causal role of immune cells in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Panshu Xu, Zhenxing Zhang, Haoran Zhu, Conglin Hu, Yukang Ying

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Discover oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Panshu Xu *Department of Stomatology, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), No.999, Donghai Avenue, Taizhou, 318000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Zhenxing Zhang *Department of Stomatology, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), No.999, Donghai Avenue, Taizhou, 318000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Haoran ZhuHealth Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Conglin HuDepartment of Stomatology, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), No.999, Donghai Avenue, Taizhou, 318000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Yukang YingDepartment of Stomatology, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), No.999, Donghai Avenue, Taizhou, 318000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China. yyk7231@126.com.

Funding

Taizhou Social Development Science and Technology Project 23ywa20
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chronic inflammation, immune cell infiltration, and metabolic reprogramming play a crucial role in the development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Based on the summary-level data from a genome-wide association study (GWAS), this study used Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the causal relationship between immune cell phenotype and HNSCC. Two-step MR was employed to quantify the proportion of the effect of metabolite-mediated immunophenotypes on HNSCC. 16 immune phenotypes exhibited a causal relationship with HNSCC. HLA DR + CD4 + AC (OR: 1.31, 95% CI 1.07-1.59, P < 0.01) and EM CD8br AC cells (OR: 1.36, 95% CI 1.14-1.62, P < 0.01) showed the most significant P values. 13 metabolites have a causal relationship with HNSCC (P < 0.05). The proportion of the effect of Bilirubin degradation product, C16H18N2O5 (3) levels-mediated HLA DR + CD4 + AC on HNSCC was 7.17% (95% CI 1.04%-13.3%), while the proportion of the effect of Glutamine to alanine ratio-mediated EM CD8br AC on HNSCC was 8.88% (95% CI 2.2%-15.6%). Moreover, single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis confirmed that HLA DR + CD4 + AC and EM CD8br AC cells were commonly present in the HNSCC tumor microenvironment (TME). High expression of two immune phenotypes indicated a poorer prognosis. The results of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis and functional enrichment indicated that Interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 1 (IFIT1)/Follicular dendritic cell secreted protein (FDCSP) and Keratin 19 type I (KRT19)/Kallikrein-related peptidase 5 (KLK5) may be responsible genes for two immune phenotypes, respectively. The results of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and survival analysis showed that FDCSP was significantly downregulated in HNSCC and could exert a protective effect. Collectively, our study clarified the causal relationship between immune cells, metabolites, and HNSCC, providing new insight for clinical diagnosis and treatment of HNSCC.

Indexed as

Causal inferenceHead and neck squamous cell carcinomaImmunityMendelian randomizationMetabolite

Identifiers

PMID40119021
PMCPMC11928708

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.