Open AccessPulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma with few PD‐1‐positive immune cells and regulatory T cells that showed a complete response to nivolumab
Author(s) -
Okamura Kazuaki,
Fukuda Yuichi,
Soda Hiroshi,
Ogawara Daiki,
Iwasaki Keisuke,
Fuchi Shinichiro,
Suyama Takayuki,
Yoshida Masataka,
Harada Tatsuhiko,
Fukuda Minoru,
Mukae Hiroshi
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
thoracic cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1759-7714
pISSN - 1759-7706
DOI - 10.1111/1759-7714.12557
Subject(s) - nivolumab , medicine , immune system , cd8 , immunohistochemistry , pd l1 , infiltration (hvac) , carcinoma , cancer research , pathology , cytotoxic t cell , immunology , immunotherapy , biology , biochemistry , physics , in vitro , thermodynamics
Pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma has been shown to respond remarkably to PD‐1 inhibitors; however, the biomarkers for this therapy have not been fully proven. We report a case of pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma with overexpressed PD‐L1, in which a complete response to nivolumab was sustained for >14 months. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed few PD‐1 + immune cells and regulatory T cells in the tumor, in addition to predominant infiltration of CD8 + cells and macrophages. Our findings suggest that the presence of a small number of PD‐1 + immune cells and regulatory T cells should be investigated as candidate therapeutic biomarkers.