Interplay Between Immune Microenvironment CD8⁺ Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and PDL-1 Expression as Prognostic...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Pathology

Background:

• Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality globally, with limited treatment options for advanced stages.
• Understanding the tumor microenvironment, including immune checkpoint markers and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), is crucial for developing new therapies.
• CD8+ TILs and PD-L1 expression are emerging as significant prognostic and predictive biomarkers in various cancers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the immunohistochemical expression of PD-L1 and CD8+ TILs in treatment-naive cervical cancer.
• To analyze the association of PD-L1 and CD8+ TILs with clinicopathological features.
• To evaluate the prognostic impact of PD-L1 and CD8+ TILs on survival outcomes in cervical cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemistry was used to assess PD-L1 expression and CD8+ TILs density.
• 48 newly diagnosed, treatment-naive cervical cancer cases were analyzed.
• Statistical methods were employed to correlate biomarker expression with clinicopathological data and survival.

Main Results:

• PD-L1 positivity was found in 68.8% of cases, associated with advanced FIGO stages, lympho-vascular invasion, and high Ki-67 index.
• High intra-tumoral CD8+ TILs (52.1% of cases) correlated with stromal TILs, lower proliferation, and absence of vascular invasion.
• An inverse relationship between PD-L1 and CD8+ TILs was observed (p=0.047). Patients with low CD8+ TILs and PD-L1-positive tumors had worse outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Immunohistochemical assessment of PD-L1 and CD8+ TILs is important for cervical squamous cell carcinoma prognosis.
• PD-L1 positivity is linked to aggressive disease, whereas high intra-tumoral CD8+ TIL density confers a protective effect.
• Combined evaluation of PD-L1 and CD8+ TILs may enhance patient stratification and guide immunotherapy strategies.