Abstract
In the light of novel cancer immune therapies, the status of antitumor inflammatory response and its regulation has gained much attention in patients with lung cancer. Ample datasets exist for non-small-cell lung cancer, but those for pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors are scarce and controversial. Here, tumor-associated inflammation, CD8+ cell infiltration and PD-L1 status were evaluated in a cohort of 57 resected carcinoids and 185 resected neuroendocrine carcinomas of the lung (58 large cell carcinomas and 127 small cell carcinomas). Data were correlated with clinicopathological factors and survival. Moderate or high tumor-associated inflammation was detected in 4 carcinoids (7%) and in 37 neuroendocrine carcinomas (20%). PD-L1 immunoreactivity was seen in immune cells of 73 (39%) neuroendocrine carcinomas, while tumor cells were labeled in 21 (11%) cases. Inflammatory cells and tumor cells in carcinoids lacked any PD-L1 expression. In neuroendocrine carcinomas, PD-L1 positivity in immune cells, but not in tumor cells, was associated with intratumoral CD8+ cell infiltration (P < 0.001), as well as with the severity of tumor-associated inflammation (P < 0.001). In neuroendocrine carcinomas, tumor-associated inflammation and PD-L1 positivity in immune cells correlated with prolonged survival and the latter factor was also an independent prognosticator (P < 0.01, hazard ratio 0.4 for overall survival, P < 0.001 hazard ratio 0.4 for disease-free survival). Taken together, in neuroendocrine tumors, antitumor inflammatory response and PD-L1 expression are largely restricted to neuroendocrine carcinomas, and in this tumor entity, PD-L1 expression in inflammatory cells is positively correlated to patient survival.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.