Tumour mutational burden and immune-cell infiltration in cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Cervical carcinoma is one of the most common gynaecological malignancies worldwide and severely affects the health of women; cervical squamous cell carcinoma is the most prevalent form. The aim of this study was to assess the tumour mutational burden (TMB) and immune infiltration in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: Cervical carcinoma-related data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The patients were divided into low- and high- TMB groups based on the median TMB score. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on the TMB score. Bioinformatics tools were used to analyse the immune infiltration in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and patient survival. Results: Single nucleotide polymorphisms were more familiar than deletions or insertions, and C>T was the primary single nucleotide variant. Moreover, TTN, PIK3CA, and MUC16 were the three main genes with mutations. The survival curve was not clinically significant, but a correlation was observed between high TMB levels and tumour grade. 69 DEGs were identified, which primarily consisted of the FC receptor, Ras, and MAPK signalling pathways. Furthermore, a significant difference was observed in the extent of infiltration of CD4+ T cells, regulatory T cells, and natural killer cells. Conclusions: We observed a relationship between high 'TMB standards and the development of cervical squamous cell carcinoma. However, we could not present an immune prognostic model for cervical squamous cell carcinoma.