Decoding the molecular landscape: HER2 and PD-L1 in advanced gastric cancer

Epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) are pivotal therapeutic targets for advanced gastric cancer (GC). Nevertheless, the correlation between them, along with the clinical and genomic characteristics and prognosis differences across distinct molecular subtypes, remains elusive.

In this retrospective study, 390 advanced GC patients provided both tumor tissue and paired blood samples for Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) of 639 tumor-related genes, along with PD-L1 immunohistochemical staining. HER2 amplification was further validated using FISH in 254 patients. We analyzed the clinical and molecular characteristics of the subgroups based on HER2 amplification and PD-L1 CPS scores.

The highest consistency with FISH for HER2 amplification was observed when the positive threshold for NGS detection was set to 2.5. TP53 mutation rate peaked at 59%, which was significantly higher in cases with HER2 amplification (P<0.01). Patients with both HER2 amplification and TP53 mutations exhibited notably shorter survival rates than cases with only TP53 mutations (P<0.05). Furthermore, HER2 amplification did not correlate with PD-L1 expression. A stratified analysis of PD-L1 expression revealed distinct clinical and molecular features. When the CPS threshold is set at 5, 10, and 20, PD-L1 positive patients have a significantly higher proportion of high tumor mutational burden (TMB-H) and high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) status compared to PD-L1 negative patients. Additionally, patients with PD-L1 CPS ≥5 demonstrate an enrichment of mutations in key signaling pathways, such as PI3K, TGFβ, and Wnt/β-catenin.

Overall, our study highlights the prognostic significance of HER2 amplification and TP53 mutations in patients with advanced GC. Stratified analysis of PD-L1 expression may help to identify candidates for targeted immunotherapy in this patient population.