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Author Spotlight: Advancing Reproductive Immunology with a Protocol for the Quantitative Evaluation of Endometrial Immune Cells
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Programmed Cell Death Ligand-1 (PDL-1) Correlates With Tumor Infiltration by Immune Cells and Represents a Promising

Thomas Hecking1, Thore Thiesler2, Janina Halbe1

  • 1Department of Gynecology and Gynecological Oncology, Center for Integrated Oncology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Anticancer Research
|February 27, 2022
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression is not a prognostic marker in endometrial carcinoma (EC). However, PD-L1 correlates with advanced stages and increased immune cell infiltration, suggesting potential benefit from PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy in a subset of EC patients.

Area of Science:

  • Gynecologic Oncology
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Cancer Biomarkers

Background:

  • Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is a prevalent gynecological malignancy with limited treatment options for advanced stages.
  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) offer a promising therapeutic avenue.
  • Assessing the prognostic value of PD-L1 expression is crucial for optimizing EC treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the clinical relevance and prognostic significance of PD-L1 expression in endometrial carcinoma.
  • To explore the correlation between PD-L1 expression and clinicopathological features in EC.
  • To evaluate the potential of PD-L1 as a biomarker for immune cell infiltration in EC.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of tumor tissue samples from 87 EC patients.
  • Immunohistochemical assessment of PD-L1 expression and other markers including p16, hormone receptors, HER2/neu, Ki-67, and immune cell markers (CD3, CD20, CD68).

Main Results:

  • PD-L1 expression was observed in 17.3% of EC patients.
  • PD-L1 status did not show prognostic value but correlated with advanced tumor stage (T3/T4), lymph node positivity, p16 expression, and absence of estrogen/progesterone receptors.
  • PD-L1 positive tumors exhibited a trend towards increased infiltration of lymphocytes, monocytes, and macrophages.

Conclusions:

  • PD-L1 expression lacks prognostic significance in endometrial carcinoma.
  • PD-L1 correlates with specific oncogenic factors and suggests enhanced immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment.
  • The findings support the potential efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade therapy in a subset of EC patients.
Keywords:
Endometrium cancerPD-1PD-L1immune checkpointprognostic factortargeted therapy

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