头颈鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）给健康和经济带来了巨大负担，治疗效果必须得到改善。葡萄糖代谢是肿瘤代谢的重要组成部分，对其发展起着关键作用。葡萄糖转运蛋白类型（GLUTs）能够从细胞外基质（ECM）中摄取葡萄糖，调节多种癌症的细胞代谢。然而，不同GLUT蛋白在HNSCC中的功能尚不清楚。为了阐明GLUT在HNSCC中的作用，我们使用了几个开放获取的在线数据库（Oncomine，GEPIA，Kaplan-Meier，cBioPortal，GeneMANIA和TIMER），评估了差异表达、临床意义、遗传变异和相关免疫细胞浸润。我们通过免疫组化检测了临床患者样本中GLUT的表达。在HNSCC中，SLC2A1/3的mRNA水平显著增加，而SLC2A4减少。SLC2A3与HNSCC的晚期临床分期和短期总生存（OS）相关。此外，在HNSCC患者中，SLC2A1/2的高表达与更短的OS相关。GLUT的表达与HNSCC中的多种免疫细胞（包括B细胞、CD4+ T细胞、CD8+ T细胞、树突状细胞（DCs）、巨噬细胞和Treg细胞）有关。此外，免疫组化在患者组织中证明了GLUT的高表达。GLUT可能在HNSCC的进展和发展中起到潜在作用。因此，当前发现可以为选择GLUT家族预后标志物和治疗HNSCC患者提供新的认识。© 2023. BioMed Central有限公司，施普林格自然出版集团的一部分。

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) causes much health and economic burden, and the therapeutic results must be improved. Glucose metabolism is an essential component of tumor metabolism and is instrumental in its development. Glucose transporter types (GLUTs) can uptake glucose from the extracellular matrix (ECM), regulating cellular metabolism in several cancers. However, the function of different GLUT proteins in HNSCC remains unclear. To clarify the role of GLUTs in HNSCC, several open-access online databases (Oncomine, GEPIA, Kaplan-Meier, cBioPortal, GeneMANIA, and TIMER) were used to evaluate the differential expression, clinical significance, genetic alteration, and relative immune cell infiltration. The expression of GLUTs was detected in clinical patient samples by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA level of SLC2A1/3 significantly increased in HNSCC, while SLC2A4 reduced. SLC2A3 was related to the advanced clinical stage and short overall survival (OS) in HNSCC. Also, higher SLC2A1/2 mRNA expression was related to shorter OS in HNSCC patients. The expression of GLUTs was related to diverse immune cells, including B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, and Treg cells in HNSCC. Moreover, the high expression of GLUTs was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in patient tissues. GLUTs might have a potential role in HNSCC's progression and development. Therefore, the current findings might offer a novel perception for selecting GLUT family prognostic markers and treatment for HNSCC patients.© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.