为了评估HOXB9表达与头颈鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）预后和免疫浸润之间的相关性。通过TIMER2.0分析了全癌HOXB9表达情况。利用基因表达谱互动分析（GEPIA）和癌症基因组图谱（TCGA）数据库比较了HNSCC和正常组织中的HOXB9表达数据。利用University of Alabama at Birmingham（UALCAN）数据库分析了基于临床病理特征（包括癌症分期、肿瘤分级和淋巴结分期）的HNSCC亚组中HOXB9的相对表达情况。利用GEPIA、TCGA-Portal、Kaplan-Meier Plotter和UALCAN数据库进行了生存分析。利用TCGA数据确定了与HOXB9共表达的基因，并通过GO和KEGG分析进行了功能注释。利用STRING数据库和Cytoscape 3.7.1构建了蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络。利用TCGA数据进行了单样本基因集富集分析，评估了HOXB9与免疫浸润的相关性。利用TIMER 2.0数据库探索了HOXB9表达与多种癌症的免疫浸润之间的相关性。HOXB9 mRNA在多种癌症中升高，并且与非成对的HNSCC组织相比（在GEPIA中P < .05；在TCGA中P < .0001），以及与成对的HNSCC组织相比也上调（在TCGA中P <.0001）。此外，HOXB9表达与GEPIA和UALCAN数据库中的肿瘤恶性程度呈正相关（P < .05），与两个数据库中患者预后呈负相关（P < .05）。高HOXB9表达与aDCs、NK CD56bright细胞、NK细胞和Th2细胞的浸润增加有关（P < .05），而低HOXB9表达与DCs、iDCs、肥大细胞、中性粒细胞和Th17细胞的比例增加有关（P < .05）。HOXB9在HNSCC中很可能作为一个癌基因通过破坏免疫环境发挥作用，并且是一个有前景的预后生物标志物和治疗靶点。版权所有©2023作者。由Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.发表。

To evaluate the correlation between HOXB9 expression, and the prognosis and immune infiltration in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Pan-cancer HOXB9 expression was analyzed through TIMER2.0. The HOXB9 expression data of HNSCC and normal tissues were compared using the gene expression profiling interactive analysis (GEPIA) and the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) databases. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UALCAN) database was used to analyze the relative expression of HOXB9 in HNSCC subgroups based on clinicopathological features, including cancer stage, tumor grade and lymph node stage. Survival analysis was performed using GEPIA, TCGA-Portal, Kaplan-Meier Plotter, and UALCAN databases. The genes co-expressed with HOXB9 were identified using TCGA data, and functionally annotated by GO and KEGG analyses. Protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database and Cytoscape 3.7.1. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis was performed to assess the correlation between HOXB9 and immune infiltration based on TCGA data. TIMER 2.0 database was used to explore the correlation between HOXB9 expression and immune infiltration multiple cancers. HOXB9 mRNA is elevated in multiple cancers, and was upregulated in HNSCC tissues compared to non-paired (P < .05 in GEPIA; P < .0001 in TCGA) as well as paired (P < .0001 in TCGA) normal tissues. In addition, HOXB9 expression was positively correlated with tumor malignancy in the GEPIA and UALCAN databases (P < .05), and negatively with patient prognosis in both databases (P < .05). High HOXB9 expression was associated with increased infiltration of aDCs, NK CD56bright cells, NK cells, and Th2 cells (P < .05), while low HOXB9 expression was associated with an increase in the proportion of DCs, iDCs, mast cells, neutrophils, and Th17 cells (P < .05). HOXB9 likely functions as an oncogene in HNSCC by disrupting the immune landscape, and is a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.