A cuproptosis-associated long non-coding RNA signature for the prognosis and immunotherapy of lung squamous cell carcinoma

Cuproptosis, a copper-induced mechanism of mitochondrial-related cell death, has been implicated as a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer and has become a new treatment strategy. Furthermore, long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) can change the biological activities of tumor cells. Globally, lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is one of the most difficult tumors to treat. As yet, nothing is known as to whether lncRNAs are related to cuproptosis in LUSC. Here, we developed a signature based on cuproptosis-associated lncRNAs that can predict the prognosis of LUSC and investigate the immunological features of LUSC. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to retrieve transcriptomic, clinical, and gene mutation data associated with LUSC. For statistical analysis, we utilized the R program. We created a signature consisting of three cuproptosis-related lncRNAs in this investigation (including AC002467.1, LINC01740, and LINC02345). Survival analyses and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves demonstrated that this signature exhibited powerful predictive capability. The predictive ability of the signature was confirmed by an ROC curve and principal component analysis; high-risk scores and high tumor mutation levels were associated with a reduced survival time. Tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion analysis further showed that individuals with low-risk scores may benefit from immunotherapy. The signature constructed by three cuproptosis-associated lncRNAs may represent a powerful prognostic marker for LUSC and may facilitate immunotherapy and provide a new direction for the treatment of LUSC.