PD-L1-Expression in primary and recurrent vulvar squamous cell cancer.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology

Background:

• Squamous cell vulvar carcinoma (VSCC) is a rare cancer with poor survival rates in advanced stages.
• Limited therapeutic options exist, and immunoncology is emerging in gynecologic cancers.
• Data on PD-L1 expression in VSCC are scarce and conflicting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the expression of PD-L1 in VSCC.
• To correlate PD-L1 expression with clinicopathologic characteristics of VSCC.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 238 primary and 66 recurrent VSCC cases (2000-2021).
• Utilized next-generation tissue microarrays (ngTMA) for PD-L1 expression analysis.
• Assessed Common Positive Score (CPS) for PD-L1 expression.

Main Results:

• PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥1) was observed in 66.4% of primary VSCC cases.
• PD-L1 positive tumors showed higher rates of p53 positivity, groin metastasis, lymphatic invasion, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.
• No significant impact of PD-L1 CPS on overall survival was found when considering other prognostic factors.

Conclusions:

• PD-L1 expression in primary VSCC is linked to a poorer prognosis.
• PD-L1 represents a potential therapeutic target for immune checkpoint inhibitors.
• Patients with VSCC may benefit from novel treatment strategies targeting PD-L1.