Evaluation of Programmed Death - Ligand ۱ (Pd-L۱) Expression in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background & Objective: Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is a highly frequent malignancy worldwide and is also the leading cause of death. The prognosis for individuals with HNSCC remains dismal, with a five-year survival rate of less than ۵۰%. The novel anti-PD-L۱ immunotherapy is found to be promising, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been established as a reliable method for patient stratification. We intend to evaluate the prognostic significance of the expression of programmed death ligand-۱ (PD-L۱) in HNSCC and determine its association with clinicopathological variables.Methods: A total of ۵۰ cases of biopsy-confirmed HNSCC were studied in a tertiary hospital between Dec ۲۰۲۰ and June ۲۰۲۲. The specimens were tested for PD-L۱ IHC expression with antibody clone CAL-۱۰ (Biocare) and scored by Combined Positive Score (CPS). The association between PD-L۱ expression and clinicopathological variables was evaluated.Results: PD-L۱ was positive in ۹۲% of the cases, and a significant association (P= ۰.۰۲۴) was seen between PD-L۱ expression and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). PD-L۱ did not show any significant association with patient demographics, tumor site, grade, or stage.Conclusion: In the present study, evaluation of the immunohistochemical expression of PD-L۱ on the tumor cells and TILs in HNSCC revealed a high prevalence of PD-L۱ expression. PD-L۱ IHC studies for patient selection for immunotherapy would be a promising technique. Frequent PD-L۱ expression in tumors with significant TILs may be useful in identifying patients who may benefit from anti-PD-۱/PD-L۱ therapy.

کلیدواژه ها:

Head and Neck ، Programmed death ligand-۱ ، Squamous cell carcinoma ، Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes