Yusuke Okuma1,2, Tsunekazu Hishima3, Jumpei Kashima3, Sadamu Homma4. 1. Divison of Oncology, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-shimbashi, Manato, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan. y-okuma@cick.jp. 2. Department of Thoracic Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious diseases Center Komagome Hospital, 3-18-22 Honkomagome, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8677, Japan. y-okuma@cick.jp. 3. Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious diseases Center Komagome Hospital, 3-18-22 Honkomagome, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8677, Japan. 4. Divison of Oncology, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-shimbashi, Manato, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The status of antitumor immunity represented by the expression of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and immune cell (IC) infiltration is unknown in HIV-infected patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Fifteen HIV-infected patients with NSCLC were compared with 29 non-HIV-infected patients with NSCLC. Analysis of 13 propensity-score-matched patients in the two groups was also compared. The expression of PD-1/PD-L1 and tumor infiltration by CD4+, CD8+, and CD56+ immune cells were examined by immunohistochemistry; score of ≥ 2 was defined as positive. RESULTS: Although high PD-L1 expression in tumor cells was observed in HIV and non-HIV cohorts, the association of PD-1/PD-L1 was significant only in the HIV cohort. In overall as well as the propensity-matched analyses, HIV-infected patients with high PD-L1 expression showed shorter survival than HIV-infected patients with low PD-L1 expression; no significant difference was observed in this respect in the non-HIV cohort. CONCLUSION: High PD-L1 expression in tumor tissue was associated with poor prognosis in HIV-infected NSCLC patients but not in non-HIV-infected NSCLC patients. These results suggest that antitumor immunity by PD-1/PD-L1 axis might be suppressed more in HIV-infected NSCLC patients as compared to their non-HIV-infected counterparts.
BACKGROUND: The status of antitumor immunity represented by the expression of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and immune cell (IC) infiltration is unknown in HIV-infectedpatients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Fifteen HIV-infectedpatients with NSCLC were compared with 29 non-HIV-infectedpatients with NSCLC. Analysis of 13 propensity-score-matched patients in the two groups was also compared. The expression of PD-1/PD-L1 and tumor infiltration by CD4+, CD8+, and CD56+ immune cells were examined by immunohistochemistry; score of ≥ 2 was defined as positive. RESULTS: Although high PD-L1 expression in tumor cells was observed in HIV and non-HIV cohorts, the association of PD-1/PD-L1 was significant only in the HIV cohort. In overall as well as the propensity-matched analyses, HIV-infectedpatients with high PD-L1 expression showed shorter survival than HIV-infectedpatients with low PD-L1 expression; no significant difference was observed in this respect in the non-HIV cohort. CONCLUSION: High PD-L1 expression in tumor tissue was associated with poor prognosis in HIV-infected NSCLCpatients but not in non-HIV-infected NSCLCpatients. These results suggest that antitumor immunity by PD-1/PD-L1 axis might be suppressed more in HIV-infected NSCLCpatients as compared to their non-HIV-infected counterparts.