OncoTargets and Therapy (Jul 2021)
Expression of B7-H3 Correlates with PD-L1 and Poor Prognosis in Patients with Cervical Cancer
Abstract
Qianqian Zhang,1,2 Liju Zong,3 Hui Zhang,2 Wei Xie,4 Fan Yang,5 Wenwen Sun,5 Baoxia Cui,1 Youzhong Zhang1 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Ji’nan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Emergency, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai’an, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Youzhong ZhangDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Wenhua Xi Road 107#, Jinan, 250012, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86 531-882169268Email [email protected]: The purpose of this study was to investigate B7 homolog 3 (B7-H3) expression patterns and define its associations with programmed cell-death ligand 1 (PD-L1), pathological features, and survival in patients with cervical cancer.Patients and Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was used to investigate B7-H3 and PD-L1 expression in tissue microarrays from 552 patients with stage IB1 and IIA1 cervical cancer, including 406 with squamous cell carcinoma and 146 with endocervical adenocarcinoma.Results: B7-H3 was expressed in the tumor cells (TCs) of 32.1% of the samples as well as in the stromal cells of 92.9% of the specimens. B7-H3 was co-expressed with PD-L1 in 21.0% of the samples, while only one or the other was expressed in 41.7% of the samples. B7-H3 expression in TCs was more frequent in squamous cell carcinoma, PD-L1-positive samples, and tissues from patients with lymph node metastasis; moreover, its expression was an independent predictor of shorter survival.Conclusion: B7-H3 positivity in TCs is a promising prognostic biomarker, and targeting B7-H3 alone or in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 may be a potential immunotherapeutic strategy for patients with cervical cancer.Keywords: carcinoma of the cervix, programmed cell-death ligand 1, B7 homolog 3, immunotherapy
