Prognostic Value of Immunohistochemical Expression of Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. | ||
| SECI Oncology Journal | ||
| Volume 13, Issue 4, October 2025, Pages 312-325 PDF (746.51 K) | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/secioj.2025.462278 | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive malignancy with an unfavorable prognosis. Immunotherapy targeting immune checkpoints, particularly programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), has demonstrated promising results in various cancer cases. However, its prognostic role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains unclear. This study focused on evaluating PD-L1 expression in tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes using immunohistochemistry, and its association with clinicopathological features and survival outcomes. Materials and methods: This study was retrospectively conducted on 40 patients confirmed to have pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess PD-L1 expression in both tumor cells and associated immune cells within the tumor microenvironment. Tumor- infiltrating lymphocytes were also evaluated. The correlations between PD-L1 expression and clinical, pathological, and survival outcomes were analyzed using chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Overall survival and disease-free survival were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. Results: Expression of PD-L1 was observed in 27.5% of tumor cells and 40% of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. A significant association was found between PD-L1 expression in tumor cells and significantly correlated with poor histological differentiation (p = 0.008) and the presence of lymph node metastasis (p = 0.03). PD-L1 positivity in immune cells was significantly correlated with higher tumor grade (p = 0.006), advanced stage (p = 0.04), presence of lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.02), and lymph node involvement (p = 0.02). A strong association was observed between expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells and immune cells (p < 0.0001). Patients exhibiting PD-L1 expression in either compartment showed significantly reduced overall and disease-free survival (p < 0.05). Elevated tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes levels were also linked to adverse survival outcomes. Conclusion: PD-L1 positivity in both tumor and immune cell populations is linked to aggressive pathological features and poorer survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. These findings highlight PD-L1 as a potential prognostic biomarker and support its role in identifying candidates for immunotherapy. Further prospective studies are recommended to validate these findings. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma · PD; L1 expression · Tumor; infiltrating lymphocytes · Immunohistochemistry · Prognostic biomarkers · Tumor microenvironment | ||
|
Statistics Article View: 10 PDF Download: 9 |
||
