Association of PD‑L1 and ZEB‑1 expression patterns with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) are immune checkpoint inhibitors that play an important role in the host immune avoidance mechanism of tumors. The relationship between PD-L1 expression and malignancy has been reported in various types of cancer, such as lung and gastric cancer. In addition, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cells is deeply involved in the invasion and metastasis of cancer. It has been reported that zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB-1), an EMT inducer, contributes to metastasis in pancreatic and colon cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the expression patterns of two markers, PD-L1 and ZEB-1, and clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Biopsy or surgical excision specimens from 169 patients with OSCC were used in the present study. Immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal anti-PD-L1 antibody and anti-ZEB-1 antibody was conducted. Cases with >1% tumor cells positive for PD-L1 and those with >10% tumor cells positive for ZEB-1 were considered positive, respectively. The findings revealed that individual expression of PD-L1 and ZEB-1 in OSCC was not associated with tumor size, degree of differentiation or Yamamoto-Kohama invasion pattern classification. However, co-expression of PD-L1 and ZEB-1 was associated with higher cervical lymph node metastasis and a lower survival rate. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that co-expression of PD-L1 and ZEB-1 could serve as a potential marker for the prognosis of patients with OSCC.

Prognostic Role of PD-L1 Expression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Varies by Oral Compartments and Immunostaining Patterns: A Meta-analysis

“…It could be inferred that PD1/PD-L1 blockade enhanced the immunity response that provided potential benefit of PD1/PD-L1 inhibition in NSND 39 . In addition, our meta-analysis also revealed that PD-L1 upregulation in TC was associated with clinicopathological features involving advanced stage, N+ status, in favour of the findings of previous reports 19,24,28,30 .…”

Biomolecules Involved in Both Metastasis and Placenta Accreta Spectrum—Does the Common Pathophysiological Pathway Exist?

“…Due to the invasive and promigratory characteristics of EMT, and its clear connection with ZEB proteins, it has become a target to distinguish the direct correlation between metastatic capacity and ZEB expression. ZEB1 induces metastasis in pancreatic, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma [77][78][79]. Multiple cancer types, including OC, breast, hepatocellular, colorectal, and gastric cancer with overexpression of ZEB2 revealed a correlation with tumor metastasis, progression of the disease, and poor prognosis [72].…”

Derived from fangchinoline, LYY-35 exhibits an inhibiting effect on human NSCLC cancer A549 cells

“…ZEB-1 protein significantly contributes to the modulation of the EMT process. Decreased levels of ZEB-1 protein are associated with the inhibition of migration and proliferation in tumor cells, leading to reduced tumor growth 22 . The PICH protein, functioning as a DNA translocation enzyme, is critical for the disassembly of chromosome bridges during mitosis.…”