JoVE - Journal of Visualized Experiments
JoVE Visualize
Contact Us

PD-L1 expression as a potential predictor of immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy and survival in patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective trials

  • 0Department of Clinical Oncology, Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Frontiers in Oncology +

|

June 18, 2024

|

June 18, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression at 1% or higher may predict better response to immunotherapy in recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). However, first-line immunotherapy improves progression-free survival regardless of PD-L1 levels.

Area Of Science

  • Oncology
  • Immunotherapy
  • Biomarker Research

Background

  • The predictive role of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is debated.
  • Recurrent or metastatic (R/M) NPC patients receiving ICIs require optimal biomarkers for treatment efficacy prediction.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To determine the optimal threshold of PD-L1 expression for predicting ICI efficacy in R/M NPC patients.
  • To evaluate PD-L1 as a biomarker in R/M NPC patients undergoing immunotherapy.

Main Methods

  • A meta-analysis of studies from PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted.
  • Pooled risk ratios (RR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall response rate (ORR) were analyzed.
  • PD-L1 expression cutoff points of 1%, 10%, and 25% were examined.

Main Results

  • First-line immunotherapy improved PFS in R/M NPC patients irrespective of PD-L1 status (PD-L1 ≥ 1% vs. < 1%).
  • A PD-L1 expression of ≥ 1% was associated with a significantly higher ORR in subsequent-line treatment settings.
  • Higher PD-L1 expression (≥ 1%) showed a trend towards improved PFS and OS, but 10% and 25% cutoffs lacked significant predictive value.

Conclusions

  • First-line immunotherapy benefits R/M NPC patients regardless of PD-L1 expression levels.
  • PD-L1 expression ≥ 1% may serve as a predictive biomarker for enhanced response to immunotherapy in subsequent treatment lines for R/M NPC.

Keywords: