PD-L1 expression in squamous-cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the lung
Abstract
Background: With introduction of immunotherapy (IT) into the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a need for predictive biomarker became apparent. PD-L1 (programmed death ligand 1) protein expression is most widely explored predictive marker for response to IT. We assessed PD-L1 expression in tumor cells (TC) and immune cells (IC) of squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) patients.
Patients and methods: We obtained 54 surgically resected tumor specimens of and assessed PD-L1 expression by immunohistochemistry after staining them with antibody SP142 (Ventana, USA). Clinicopathological characteristics were acquired from the hospital registry database. Results were analyzed according to cut-off values of ≥5% and ≥10% of PD-L1 expression on either TC or IC.
Results: 29 (54%) samples were AC and 25 (46%) were SCC. PD-L1 expression was significantly higher in TC of SCC compared to AC at both cut-off values (52% vs. 17%, p = 0.016 and 52% vs. 14%, p = 0.007, respectively) no difference in PD-L1 expression in IC of SCC and AC was found. In AC alone, PD-L1 expression was significantly higher in IC compared to TC at both cut-off values (72% vs. 17%, p <0.001 and 41% vs. 14%, p = 0.008, respectively), while no significant difference between IC and TC PD-L1 expression was revealed in SCC.
Conclusions: Our results suggest a significantly higher PD-L1 expression in TC of SCC compared to AC, regardless of the cut-off value. PD-L1 expression in IC is high in both histological subtypes of NSCLC, and adds significantly to the overall positivity of AC but not SCC.
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Radiology and Oncology (ISSN 1318-2099) is a multidisciplinary journal devoted to-the publishing of original and high quality articles in diagnostic and interventional radiology, computerized tomography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy, clinical and experimental oncology, radiobiology, radiophysics, and radiation protection. Therefore, the scope of the journal is to cover beside radiology diagnostic and therapeutic aspects in oncology, which distinguishes it from other journals in the field.
Open access on the web: ISSN 1518-3207 Versita Open Radiology and Onkology
