Abstract Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is endemic to Southern China and Southeast Asia. Gene expression profiling and biomarker identification in NPC with conventional bulk RNAseq has been challenging due to substantial heterogeneity in cellular composition and limited tissue availability. While we have previously described the microdissected gene expression landscape of NPC and its tumor microenvironment (TME) subtypes, prognostic gene signatures for treatment response remain poorly defined. Methods: We obtained formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsies from 64 NPC patients matched for stage but with different clinical outcomes, i.e., the treatment failure group (recurrent/metastatic disease) and the survivor group (remained disease-free). Laser-capture microdissection was performed to isolate the tumor epithelial (TUM) and TME regions based on H Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 5363.
Ren et al. (Fri,) studied this question.