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Updated: Jun 30, 2026
Gene Regulation and Targeted Therapy in Gastric Cancer Peritoneal Metastasis: Radiological Findings from Dual Energy CT and PET/CT
Published on: January 22, 2018
Programmed cell death protein 1 expression is an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer after curative
Shohei Eto1, Kozo Yoshikawa2, Masaaki Nishi1
1Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima, 770-8503, Japan.
Background:
Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 downregulate T cell activation and are related to immune tolerance. The aim of this study was to clarify the significance of PD-1 and PD-L1 expression and to analyze the relationships among PD-1, PD-L1, and Foxp3 expression in gastric cancer.
Methods:
A total of 105 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for stage II/III gastric cancer were included in this study. PD-1, PD-L1, and Foxp3 expression were examined by immunohistochemistry and related to prognostic factors by univariate and multivariate analyses.
Results:
PD-1 expression was correlated with both PD-L1 and Foxp3 expression. Disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly poorer in PD-1-positive patients than in PD-1-negative patients (3-year DFS, 36.1 % vs. 64.7 %, respectively; p < 0.05). Overall survival also tended to be poorer in PD-L1-positive patients than in PD-L1-negative patients. Univariate analysis identified sex, T factor, lymphatic invasion, and PD-1 positivity as significant predictors of poor DFS. Multivariate analysis confirmed male sex, lymphatic invasion, and positive PD-1 expression as independent prognostic indicators.
Conclusions:
PD-1 expression is associated with a poor prognosis and is correlated with PD-L1 and Foxp3 expression in patients with gastric cancer.
