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.