PD-L1 Expression Is a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Thoracic Esophageal Cancer Treated Without Adjuvant Chemotherapy.
Programmed death-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) induces apoptosis of tumor-reactive T-cells, that enables tumors to evade immune defense and thus furthers their growth. Our aim was to determine whether PD-L1 expression status correlates with prognosis in patients with advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.



The PD-L1 expression status of 177 patients treated with esophagectomy without preoperative therapy was evaluated immunohistochemically using tissue microarray. We then statistically analyzed the relationships between PD-L1 expression status and clinicopathological features and survival.



In patients undergoing surgery alone, PD-L1 expression was significantly positivity associated with a better prognosis. By contrast, there were no significant correlations between PD-L1 expression and clinicopathological features or outcomes in patients treated with surgery plus postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.



PD-L1 positivity in advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma may be predictive of a positive prognosis in patients treated without adjuvant chemotherapy.
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan wakita@gipc.akita-u.ac.jp.
Akiyuki
A
Wakita
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Satoru
S
Motoyama
Department of Pathology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Nanjo
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Yusuke
Y
Sato
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Kei
K
Yoshino
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Tomohiko
T
Sasaki
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Yuta
Y
Kawakita
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Jiajia
J
Liu
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Kazuhiro
K
Imai
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Hajime
H
Saito
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Yoshihiro
Y
Minamiya
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D000077277:Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; D016629:Esophagectomy; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007120:Immunochemistry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
D060890:B7-H1 Antigen; C423236:CD274 protein, human
PD-L1; esophageal cancer; immunochemistry; prognosis