Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are frequently dysregulated in
cancer and their aberrant expression has been associated with
cancer diagnosis and prognosis, which suggests that they may be promising molecular
biomarkers. However, understanding of the expression pattern of lncRNAs and their prognostic roles in
head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (
HNSCC) is relatively limited. In the current study, the prognostic value of
lncRNA expression profiles in predicting the OS of patients with
HNSCC was investigated by integrating clinical and profiling data from The
Cancer Genome Atlas. A total of ten lncRNAs closely associated with the prognosis of patients with
HNSCC were identified and may serve as novel
biomarkers. This 10-lncRNA signature was used to classify patients into 2 groups with significantly different overall survival (OS) times (median OS time, 1.65 vs. 13.04 years; P<0.0001). This
lncRNA signature was validated in an independent testing cohort. The results of multivariable Cox regression and stratification analyses revealed that the prognostic value of the 10-lncRNA signature was independent of other clinical and pathological factors for the survival of patients with
HNSCC. Functional analysis demonstrated that
lncRNA expression-based risk scoring may reflect the basic status of the immune response in the tumor microenvironment. The presented study demonstrated the value of a
lncRNA signature as a potential
biomarker to improve the clinical prognosis of patients with
HNSCC.