Expression and analysis of PD-L1 in peripheral blood circulating tumor cells of lung cancer.

Abstract

Aim: PD-L1is an important immune intervention target for lung cancer treatment;however, its clinical significance andbiological function in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) of lung cancer need to be explored in depth. Materials & methods: In this study, the CanPatrolmethod was used to detect three types of CTCs and PD-L1 in 271 lung cancer patients from December2015 to October2019. Results: Smoking index, pathological diagnosisand clinical stage are independent influencing factors of PD-L1 expression. The methods that affect the count of CTCs are first-line chemotherapy and targeted therapy; however, there is no difference in the expression of PD-L1 with different treatments. Conclusions: The detection of CTCs and PD-L1 in peripheral blood is helpful for the diagnosis of lung cancer patients.