Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 28, 2025
Isolating Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and CD4+ T cells from Sézary Syndrome Patients for Transcriptomic Profiling
Published on: October 14, 2021
PD-1 and PD-L1 expression in mycosis fungoides and Sézary Syndrome
Alessandro Pileri1,2, Valentina Tabanelli3, Fabio Fuligni4
1Unit of Dermatology, IRCCS Sant'Orsola Polyclinic, Bologna, Italy - alessandro.pileri2@unibo.it.
Background:
The mechanisms involved in mycosis fungoides, and Sezary Syndrome progression are largely unknown. Over the last decade the interest in immune system contrast of neoplasm has grown owing to the introduction of immunotherapy. PD-1 and its ligand (PD-L1) are the target of several immunotherapy treatment. In the literature reports on the expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 have provided contrasting results.
Methods:
In our analysis we investigated PD-1 expression in neoplastic cells and in tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) as well as PD-L1 expression in tumor cells and in tumor associated macrophages (TAMs). PD-L1 and PD-1 positive cells were counted in 5 high-power fields (HPF) and scored as the average number of positive neoplastic cells/TILs/TAMs per HPF.
Results:
From databases of two institutions (Bologna and Florence) thirty-five patients corresponding to 43 biopsies were retrieved. In seven instances sequential biopsies were present. No statistically significant expression was observed comparing early to advanced stages by analysing PD-1 by tumor cells and TILs and of PD-L1 by tumor cells and TAMs.
Conclusions:
Our results corroborate that PD-1 and PD-L1 expression is not stage-dependent in mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome. However, PD-1 and PD-L1 expression in affected patients provides a rationale to schedule anti PD-1/PD-L1 drugs.
