Open AccessPD-L1 expression is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Author(s) -
Chan Young Ock,
Sehui Kim,
Bhumsuk Keam,
Miso Kim,
Tae Min Kim,
Jin Ho Kim,
Yoon Kyung Jeon,
Ju Seog Lee,
Seong Keun Kwon,
J. Hun Hah,
Taekyoung Kwon,
Hong Gyun Wu,
Myung Whun Sung,
Dae Seog Heo
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
oncotarget
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.373
H-Index - 127
ISSN - 1949-2553
DOI - 10.18632/oncotarget.7431
Subject(s) - medicine , epithelial–mesenchymal transition , head and neck squamous cell carcinoma , cancer , immunohistochemistry , otorhinolaryngology , oncology , head and neck cancer , cancer research , pathology , metastasis , surgery
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.