Immune infiltration in nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on gene expression

Immune infiltration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is closely associated with the patients’ prognosis. However, previous studies have not interpreted the difference of infiltrating immune cells in NPC. We comprehensively analyzed the tumor-infiltrating immune cells present in NPC for the first time, which was based on a scientific deconvolution algorithm (CIBERSORT) and the gene expression data of GSE64634. The fractions of 22 immune cells were assessed to reveal the associations between normal samples and NPC samples. Profiles of immune infiltration vary significantly between normal samples and NPC samples, and the variation could characterize the individual differences. NPC samples contained a higher proportion for M1 macrophages, whereas memory B cells and CD4 memory resting T cells were relatively lower. Our data suggest that the differences in the infiltrating immune cells in NPC and these differences would probably facilitate patient consultation and individualized treatment.