Expression of programmed death-ligand 1 protein in pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma correlates with tumour necrosis but not with tumour differentiation

2021 ◽  
pp. jclinpath-2020-207171
Author(s):  
Vladimír Tancoš ◽  
Anna Farkašová ◽  
Zuzana Kviatkovská ◽  
Marián Grendár ◽  
Alena Líšková ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Tumour Necrosis ◽  
Small Cell Lung Carcinoma ◽  
Tumour Mass ◽  
Cell Lung Carcinoma ◽  
Programmed Death Ligand 1 ◽  
Programmed Death ◽  
Tumour Differentiation

AimsPulmonary squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) represents the second most common non-small cell lung carcinoma type. The mechanisms which regulate programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in this form of lung cancer are not fully elucidated yet.MethodsWe immunohistochemically determined the level of PD-L1 expression using the Tumour Proportion Score system in surgical resections of 133 patients with pulmonary SqCC. The results from PD-L1 immunohistochemistry were analysed in relation to tumour differentiation and the presence of necrotic areas comprising at least 20% of the tumour mass.ResultsNo significant differences in terms of PD-L1 expression were found between SqCC subtypes as defined by the current WHO classification: better differentiated, keratinising tumours (12/24, 50.0 %) compared with less differentiated, non-keratinising and basaloid forms (62/109, 56.9 %) were PD-L1 positive in a comparable proportion of cases (p=0.1903). Contrary to that, SqCCs with the presence of necrosis (51/61, 83.6 %) had significantly more PD-L1-positive cases (p<0.001) compared with SqCCs without necrotic areas (23/72, 32.0 %)ConclusionsWe demonstrated that PD-L1 expression in pulmonary SqCCs does not correlate with the traditionally defined degree of differentiation of these tumours. On the other hand, we found a significant association between the positive result of PD-L1 immunohistochemistry and tumour necrosis. Further investigation regarding the role of hypoxic pathways as presumable inducers of PD-L1 expression in pulmonary SqCCs might contribute to the understanding of this phenomenon.

Metastatic penile squamous cell carcinoma with dramatic response to combined checkpoint blockade with ipilimumab and nivolumab

2020 ◽  
pp. 107815522092260
Author(s):  
Abinav Baweja ◽  
Nataliya Mar
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Human Papilloma Virus ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Penile Cancer ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Papilloma Virus ◽  
Programmed Death Ligand 1 ◽  
Programmed Death ◽  
Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Introduction Prognosis for patients with lymph node positive or metastatic penile squamous cell carcinoma remains poor. Chemotherapy with paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (TIP regimen) is recommended as a first-line option in this cohort of patients. No standard preferred subsequent-line therapy exists for patients with relapsed or refractory penile carcinoma following TIP chemotherapy. Molecular pathogenesis of penile cancer can be subdivided into human papilloma virus-dependent and human papilloma virus-independent pathways. Recent studies have demonstrated increased expression of programmed death ligand-1 in some penile tumors, commonly those that are human papilloma virus-negative. Given the rarity of penile carcinoma in industrialized countries and lack of effective therapies, checkpoint inhibitors may be an attractive treatment option for this subset of patients. Case report We report a case of metastatic penile cancer refractory to TIP chemotherapy, with a dramatic treatment response to ipilimumab and nivolumab. Molecular profiling of this tumor showed a high programmed death ligand-1 expression, high tumor mutational burden, high microsatellite instability, and alterations in DNA mismatch repair genes. Discussion This case highlights another dimension of information that may be gained with molecular genomic profiling of penile tumors, providing insight into the biologic behavior of this neoplasm and assessing for predictive biomarkers of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Clinical Significance of Programmed Death Ligand-1 Expression in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 251 ◽  
pp. 321-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nozomi Ito ◽  
Hironori Tsujimoto ◽  
Hiroyuki Horiguchi ◽  
Hideyuki Shimazaki ◽  
Hiromi Miyazaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Clinical Significance ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Programmed Death Ligand 1 ◽  
Programmed Death

Association of serum level of YKL-40 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck with survival

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 5551-5551
Author(s):  
A. Roslind ◽  
J. S. Johansen ◽  
I. J. Christensen ◽  
J. Bentzen ◽  
D. L. Nielsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Small Cell Lung Carcinoma ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
High Serum ◽  
Cell Lung Carcinoma ◽  
Stage 1

5551 Background: High serum YKL-40 is associated with poor prognosis in breast-, colorectal-, ovarian-, prostate-, small cell lung carcinoma and malignant melanoma. YKL-40 is secreted by cancer cells, macrophages and neutrophils. Its function in cancer is unknown. It may be a growth factor, play a role in angiogenesis or protect against apoptosis. The aim was to examine serum YKL-40 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Methods: YKL-40 was determined by ELISA (Quidel, Santa Clara, CA) in serum samples from 138 patients with SCCHN (median age 60, range 44–92 years) before surgery and/or fractionated radiotherapy (total dose of 60–68 Gy, 2-Gy fractions). 42 patients had stage 1, 28 stage 2, 22 stage 3, and 46 stage 4 disease. The median follow-up time was 4.0 years (range 15 days–8.5 years). 91 patients had died. Results: Serum YKL-40 was increased (p < 0.001) in patients with SCCHN (median 120 μg/l, range 25–1848 μg/l) compared to healthy controls (43 μg/l, 20–184 μg/l, n = 245). Serum YKL-40 was elevated in 52% of the patients. Patients with stage 1 disease had lower, but non-significant, serum YKL-40 compared to patients with stage 2–4 disease (median 113 μg/l, range 25–1000 μg/l vs. 139 μg/l, 29–1848 μg/l, p = 0.06). Patients with high serum YKL-40 had significantly shorter survival than patients with normal serum YKL-40 (33 months vs. 74 months, p = 0.01 logrank test). Univariate analysis of serum YKL-40 (log transformed and treated as a continuous covariate) showed significant association with overall survival after start of therapy (HR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.2–1.7, p = 0.0004). Multivariate Cox analysis including age, stage and serum YKL-40 (log transformed and treated as a continuous variable) showed that stage (stage 3–4 vs. stage 1–2, HR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.9–4.6, p < 0.0001) and serum YKL-40 (HR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2–1.8, p = 0.0003) were independent prognostic variables of overall survival. Conclusions: Serum YKL-40 is a prognostic biomarker of overall survival in SCCHN patients. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

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