The Association of Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) and Cluster of Differentiation 95 Ligand (CD95L) Immunoexpression with Chemotherapy Response in Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma

Abstract

Background: Programmed Death Ligand (PD-L1) and Cluster of Differentiation 95 (CD95L) are influenced by oncogenes and function in the anti-apoptosis process which is thought to play a role in chemotherapy resistance. This study aimed to analyze the association of PD-L1 and CD95L immunoexpression with chemotherapy response in Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (CHL).Method: This study involved 40 cases of histopathologically diagnosed CHL treated with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) chemotherapy. PD-L1 and CD95L immunohistochemical staining were performed in selected paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of all cases. The chemotherapy response status of the patients was taken from the medical recordResults: High PDL-1 immunoexpression was evident in 19 (47.5%) cases while positive CD95L immunoexpression was found in 14 (35%) CHL cases. High PD-L1 immunoexpression was significantly associated with the Non-Responsive (NR) group (78.9%) with p-value = 0.0001. Positive CD95L immunoexpression was greater in the NR group (71.4%) with p-value = 0.37.Conclusion: : High PD-L1 immunoexpression indicated an unfavorable response to ABVD chemotherapy in CHL. CD95L immunoexpression was not associated with ABVD chemotherapy response in CHL.