Fig. 5: High expression of immune suppression genes is associated with increased survival probability in HNSCC.

A A knowledge-based list of 50 immune suppressive genes was analyzed for association with 5-year survival probability. p-values were −log10 transformed and genes for which high expression was associated with decreased survival were transformed to a negative value. B An Immune Suppression Score was built based on 21 immune suppression genes shown in (A) where high expression was associated with increased survival. Each subject was assigned an Immune Suppression Score and 5-year survival was analyzed by comparing upper and lower quartiles of the score. C The Immune Suppression Score was compared by HPV_p16 status (negative: n = 73, positive: n = 38). Boxplots indicate median and interquartile range.