Takeharu Ono1, Koichi Azuma2, Akihiko Kawahara3, Tetsuro Sasada4, Norikazu Matsuo2, Tatsuyuki Kakuma5, Hiroyuki Kamimura6, Ririko Maeda7, Chikayuki Hattori8, Kotaro On1,9, Kei Nagata1,10, Fumihiko Sato1, Shun-Ich Chitose1, Buichiro Shin1, Takeichiro Aso6, Jun Akiba3, Hirohito Umeno1. 1. Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. 2. Division of Respirology, Neurology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. 3. Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Kurume University Hospital, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. 4. Cancer Vaccine Center, Kanagawa Cancer Center Research Institute, Yokohama, Japan. 5. Biostatistics Center, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. 6. Department of Otolaryngology, Iizuka Hospital, Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan. 7. Department of Otolaryngology, Omuta City Hospital, Omuta, Fukuoka, Japan. 8. Department of Radiology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. 9. Department of Otolaryngology, St. Mary's Hospital, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. 10. Department of Otolaryngology, Yame General Hospital, Yame, Fukuoka, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Little is known about immune-related prognostic factors in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 66 patients with NPC. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status, programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) densities were analyzed, and a prognostic evaluation of these immune-related parameters was performed. RESULTS: The multivariate analyses demonstrated that CD8-positive TIL density but not PD-L1 expression on tumor cells or immune cells was a significant predictive factor for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that a positive PD-L1 expression on tumor cells in combination with a higher CD8-positive TIL density was significantly associated with favorable prognosis, whereas positive PD-L1 expression on tumor cells with lower CD8-positive TIL density was associated with worse prognosis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that PD-L1 expression on tumor cells in combination with CD8-positive TIL density could be a useful predictive biomarker for risk stratification in patients with NPC.
BACKGROUND: Little is known about immune-related prognostic factors in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 66 patients with NPC. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status, programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) densities were analyzed, and a prognostic evaluation of these immune-related parameters was performed. RESULTS: The multivariate analyses demonstrated that CD8-positive TIL density but not PD-L1 expression on tumor cells or immune cells was a significant predictive factor for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that a positive PD-L1 expression on tumor cells in combination with a higher CD8-positive TIL density was significantly associated with favorable prognosis, whereas positive PD-L1 expression on tumor cells with lower CD8-positive TIL density was associated with worse prognosis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that PD-L1 expression on tumor cells in combination with CD8-positive TIL density could be a useful predictive biomarker for risk stratification in patients with NPC.