OncoTargets and Therapy (Jul 2020)
Interactive Effects of PD-L1 Expression in Tumor and Immune Cells on Prognosis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A One-Center Retrospective Cohort Study
Abstract
Feng Shi,1 Shuo Xiao,2 Kaeli B Miller,2 Yanjie Zhao,3 Yuchen Li,4 Ying Gao,1 Hong Chang,1 Qingkun Song,5,6 Chenxu Qu7 1Department of Pathology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100038, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA; 3Department of Medical Oncology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100038, People’s Republic of China; 4Sid Faithfull Brain Cancer Research Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; 5Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Evidence-based Medicine, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100038, People’s Republic of China; 6Beijing Key Laboratory of Cancer Therapeutic Vaccines, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100038, People’s Republic of China; 7Gruber Laboratory, University of Southern California, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA, USACorrespondence: Qingkun SongDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Evidence-based Medicine, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Tieyi Road 10, Haidian District, Beijing 100038, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-10-63926901Email [email protected]: The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic effect of PD-L1 expressing in tumor and immune cells among patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study by consecutively recruiting 142 patients. The clinicopathological features and PD-L1 expression on tumor and immune cells were independently evaluated by two pathologists.Results: The median expression rate of PD-L1 was 5% and 30% in tumor and immune cells, respectively. Patients with higher expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells had shorter disease-free and overall survival, and the HRs were 1.52 for relapse (95% CI: 0.88, 2.60) and 1.48 for death (95% CI: 0.82, 2.69). There was no significant association between the PD-L1 expression in immune cells and survival. However, among the patients with PD-L1 expression rate ≤ 30% in immune cells, the high expression rate of PD-L1 in tumor cells was significantly associated with the relapse and death, with HRs of 2.51 (95% CI: 1.25, 5.06) and 3.51 (95% CI: 1.57, 7.85), respectively. Among patients with PD-L1 expression rate > 30% in immune cells, the PD-L1 expression in tumor cells did not show any association with the disease-free and overall survival.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that the integration of PD-L1 expression in tumor and immune cells could be used to predict the relapse and survival among patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Keywords: esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, PD-L1, prognosis, tumor cells and immune cells, tumor microenvironment
