High PD-L1 expression in gastric cancer (GC) patients and correlation with molecular features

The programmed death receptor ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry (IHC) 22C3 pharmDx assay is a widely used selection method for pembrolizumab treatment in gastric cancer (GC) patients, especially in the U.S. The present study investigated the relationship between PD-L1 expression and the clinical features, molecular markers, and molecular subtypes of GC.

PD-L1 expression was assessed based on combined positive score (CPS) using PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx in the Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG) GC cohort (N = 300), which has been previously genomically profiled. PD-L1 positivity was defined as PD-L1 CPS ≥ 1. The association between PD-L1 expression and clinical features, tumor burden, and molecular subtypes (ACRG and The Cancer Genome Atlas [TCGA]) was analyzed.

Of the 300 tumors, 178 (59.3 %) had PD-L1 CPS ≥ 1 and 122 (40.7 %) had PD-L1 CPS < 1. PD-L1 CPS ≥ 1 was significantly associated with stage I tumor (P = 0.022), high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) (P < 0.001), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positivity (P = 0.008), and positive Helicobacter pylori status (P = 0.001). PD-L1 CPS ≥ 1 was observed in 96/193 (49.7 %) EBV-negative/microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors. In gene expression profiling, PD-L1 CPS was highly correlated with mutational load (P < 0.001) as well as EBV (P < 0.001) and MSI subtypes (P < 0.001); 27/300 (9%) GC patients had a very high PD-L1 (≥ 20) score (MSI-H, n = 10; EBV, n = 6; and non-EBV/MSS, n = 11). OS was longer in patients with PD-L1 CPS ≥ 1 tumors than in those with PD-L1 CPS < 1 tumors (median OS not reached vs. 40 months; P = 0.008; log-rank test).

PD-L1 is expressed in 59.3 % of GC patients and is associated with MSI and EBV positivity. These results provide a basis for identifying GC patients who may benefit from anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy.