The prognostic significance of programmed cell death 1 and its ligand on lymphoma cells and tumor-immune cells in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified

The prognostic significance of PD-1 and PD-L1 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified

Authors

  • Teja Čas Slak
  • Simona Miceska
  • Gorana Gašljević
  • Lučka Boltežar
  • Veronika Kloboves Prevodnik Institute of Oncology Ljubljana

Abstract

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (DLBCL, NOS) is the most common non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, where the treatment of relapsed/refractory cases is the major challenge. Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 play a crucial role in the negative regulation of the immune response against the disease. Our aim was to analyze the expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 on lymphoma cells (LCs) and tumor-immune cells (TICs) and to investigate their correlation with outcome.

Patients and methods: Samples from 283 patients diagnosed with DLBCL, NOS (both germinal center B cell (GCB) and non-GCB subtypes) were included in the study. Expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 was determined using double immunohistochemical staining (D-IHC) for PD-1/PAX5 and PD-L1/ PAX5 on tissue microarrays. LCs were highlighted by D-IHS to obtain more accurate results. Clinical data and histologic diagnoses were obtained from electronic data records. We correlated clinical characteristics, and PD-1 and PD-L1 expression on LC and TICs with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results: Expression of PD-1 on TICs was observed in 38.4% and on LCs in 8.8% of cases, while PD-L1 was expressed on TICs in 46.8% and on LCs in 6.5% of cases. PD-L1 expression on LCs was more frequent in non-GCB subtype (p=0.047). In addition, patients with PD-L1 expression on LCs had significantly shorter PFS (p=0.015), and the expression retained significant in the multivariate model (p=0.034).

Conclusions: PD-L1 was more frequently expressed in LCs of the non-GCB subtype. Additionally, PD-L1 in LCs may predict shorter PFS time. D-IHC staining for PD-L1/PAX5 is a feasible method to assess PD-L1 expression on LCs of DLBCL, NOS patients and can be used to identify patients who may benefit from targeted immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors.

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Published

2024-02-15

How to Cite

Čas Slak, T., Miceska, S., Gašljević, G., Boltežar, L., & Kloboves Prevodnik, V. (2024). The prognostic significance of programmed cell death 1 and its ligand on lymphoma cells and tumor-immune cells in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified: The prognostic significance of PD-1 and PD-L1 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified. Radiology and Oncology, 58(1), 99–109. Retrieved from https://radioloncol.com/index.php/ro/article/view/4250

Issue

Section

Clinical oncology