Programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-L1) association in metastatic and non-metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma: clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study

Résumé

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is considered a highly immunosuppressive malignancy largely mediated by the Programmed Cell Death 1/Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1(PD-1/PD-L1) axis. The interaction between PD-L1 expressed on tumor cells and PD-1 receptors on T-cells results in T-cell dysfunction, exhaustion, and immune evasion within the tumor microenvironment. This study aimed to evaluate PD-L1 expression in primary non-metastatic OSCC, primary metastatic OSCC, and nodal metastatic OSCC, as well as to investigate its association with different available clinicopathological parameters. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to retrospectively evaluate PD-L1 expression in 30 archival paraffin-embedded OSCC specimens retrieved from the Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, and the Oncology Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University. PD-L1 immunoreactivity was evaluated using a semi-quantitative scoring system based on both the staining intensity and the percentage of positively stained cells. The percentage of immunopositive cells was scored as stated: 0 (0%); 1 (< 25%); 2 (25-50%); 3 (50-75%); and 4 (> 75%). Staining intensity was graded as follows: (0 = negative); (1 = weak); (2 = moderate); and (3 = strong). A combined immunoreactivity score was calculated by adding the percentage and the intensity for each case (range 0-7). The final score was categorized as follows: 0 (negative); 1-3 (weak); 4-7 (strong). Statistical analysis was conducted to determine significant differences and correlations between PD-L1 expression and clinicopathological parameters using the Chi-square test, Monte Carlo test, one-way ANOVA, Student's t-test, and Fisher's exact test. The p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. PD-L1 immunopositivity was detected in all OSCC cases (100%). A statistically significant difference was observed among the different studied groups (p < 0.001), with the strongest PD-L1 expression detected in both primary metastatic and nodal metastatic OSCC. Strong PD-L1 expression showed a significant association with patient age (p = 0.024). Additionally, a significant correlation was identified between PD-L1 expression and the depth of tumor invasion (p < 0.001). PD-L1 expression may have a potential role in tumor progression of OSCC.

Citer ce document

Accès au document

Texte intégral en lecture en ligne, réservé aux abonnés SPHAERO et aux membres de l'institution. Se connecter

Auteur(s)

Statistiques

Consultations : 1

Téléchargements : 0