Objective  To investigate the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) associated with cuproptosis in clinical prognosis prediction and immunotherapy of laryngeal cancer.

Methods Genomes and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were used to construct prognostic models by LASSO analysis and Cox regression analysis. Principal component analysis, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and consistency index were used to evaluate their clinical efficacy. The prognostic value of the risk model was analyzed in terms of tumor mutation load, tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion, and stemness index. Finally, gene set enrichment analysis (GESA) was used to explore the cell function and pathway enrichment in high-risk model group.

Results  Five prognostic models of lncRNA associated with cuproptosis were obtained. Principal component analysis, area under the curve (AUC) exceeding 0.8 for ROC curve, and the concordance index demonstrated the superior predictive capability of the established risk models. In high- and low-risk patients, the risk curves were not significantly correlated with immune-related function, but were negatively correlated with RNA stemness scores (r=-0.21, P=0.025). Enrichment analysis showed that the biological function of lncRNA was related to WNT signaling pathway.

Conclusion  lncRNA associated with cuproptosis may be a new biomarker to predict the prognosis of laryngeal cancer, and may provide a new approach for the treatment of laryngeal cancer.

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