title: PD-L1 expression is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: Virus-associated malignancies and sarcomatoid cancers correlate with high PD-L1 expression, however, underlying mechanisms remain controversial. We evaluated the correlation between PD-L1 expression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC).Tumor tissues from 50 patients with HNSCC were evaluated for PD-L1 by immunohistochemistry, which showed 32 (64.0%) were PD-L1 positive (PD-L1+). Interestingly, PD-L1 expression was significantly associated with EMT (P = 0.010), as assessed by low E-cadherin and high vimentin expression. The overall survival of PD-L1+ patients with EMT features was significantly worse than those without EMT features (P = 0.007). In an independent validation cohort (N = 91), as well as in HNSCC cases of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia, high PD-L1 expression was also associated with the high probability of an EMT signature, referred from the GEO dataset, GSE4824. Survival analysis confirmed PD-L1+/EMT+ patients had a poorer prognosis than PD-L1+/EMT- patients in the TCGA cohort. PD-L1 positivity can thus be divided into two categories according to the absence or presence of EMT. PD-L1 expression is also independently associated with EMT features in HNSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chan-Young
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Ock
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sehui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.|Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Bhumsuk
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Keam
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Miso
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.|Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Min
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Kyung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Ju-Seog
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Seong Keun
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: J Hun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hah
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Tack-Kyun
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.|Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Wan
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hong-Gyun
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Myung-Whun
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.|Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dae Seog
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Heo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D060890:B7-H1 Antigen; C423236:CD274 protein, human
keywords: PD-L1; epithelial-mesenchymal transition; head and neck; p16; squamous