Abstract
PurposeThe effectiveness of immunotherapy for cervical adenocarcinoma (CA) has not been demonstrated yet. Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and CD8 may be used as biomarkers of response to immune therapy in CA patients. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether the expression levels of PD-1, PD-L1, and CD8 can predict the prognosis of patients with CA and their response to immune checkpoint inhibition therapy.MethodsIn the present study, the clinical stage for all 82 patients with cervical adenocarcinoma was classified according to the guidelines of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO); there were 5, 48, 5, 14, 8, and 2 patients with stage IA, IB, IIA, IIB, IIIB, and IVB disease, respectively. The levels of PD-1, PD-L1, and CD8 were analyzed by the immunohistochemical analysis of the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples. The correlation between the expression levels and patient prognosis was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models.ResultsWe observed a significant inverse correlation between the expression of PD-1 and CD8 (p = 0.001, chi-square test). We also found a significant inverse correlation between the expression of PD-L1 and CD8 (p = 0.027). The overall survival and progression-free survival rates were significantly worse in patients with positive PD-1 expression (p = 0.031; p = 0.087, respectively).ConclusionOur results suggest that a high PD-1 expression is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with CA. Further research is necessary to identify the molecular mechanisms that mediate this association.
Highlights
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women according to the World Health Organization
The present study reports two major findings: First, we revealed a significant inverse correlation between programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and CD8 expression levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes
We found a significant inverse correlation between programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and CD8 expression on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes
Summary
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women according to the World Health Organization. Treatment with nivolumab or pembrolizumab, antibodies against programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), has markedly improved the overall survival of patients suffering from malignant tumors with poor prognoses. As these immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective only against a few types of cancers, only a small percentage of cancer patients benefit from their use. There is a crucial need to identify potential markers that can predict the success of these new immune therapies To achieve this goal, many studies have investigated the tumor microenvironment and clarified the mechanisms of immunoediting and tumor immunogenicity, as well as the composition of the tumor-infiltrating cells, such as lymphocytes and macrophages
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
