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Review
. 2022 Jun;8(3):690-698.
doi: 10.1002/cre2.590. Epub 2022 May 20.

PD-L1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma: A key biomarker from the laboratory to the bedside

Riccardo Nocini  1 , Matteo Vianini  2 , Ilaria Girolami  3 , Luca Calabrese  4 , Aldo Scarpa  5 , Maurizio Martini  6 , Patrizia Morbini  7 , Stefano Marletta  5 , Matteo Brunelli  5 , Gabriele Molteni  1 , Anil Parwani  8 , Liron Pantanowitz  9 , Albino Eccher  10
Affiliations
Review

PD-L1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma: A key biomarker from the laboratory to the bedside

Riccardo Nocini et al. Clin Exp Dent Res. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives and background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a highly malignant disease with an increasing incidence. The need to improve therapeutic strategies for patients affected by OSCC is an urgent challenge. Currently, the advent of immunotherapy represents an important step toward this aim. Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), a membrane protein that can be expressed on tumor and inflammatory cells is a key biomarker whose expression is determined by means of immunohistochemistry and is necessary for selecting patients for immunotherapy.

Methods: In this study, we review the methods of PD-L1 assessment and outcomes achieved with immunotherapy in the treatment of OSCC patients.

Results: Based on a meta-analysis we demonstrate a lack of prognostic significance of PD-L1 in OSCC.

Conclusions: We also highlight unresolved issues including difficulties in standardizing PD-L1 evaluation and discuss future opportunities such as leveraging digital pathology.

Keywords: CD274; PD-L1; meta-analysis; oral cancer; oral squamous cell carcinoma; programmed death-ligand 1.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Forest plot showing the impact of PD‐L1 expression on overall survival in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. As shown by the direct contact of the summarizing box with the “1‐line,” statistical significance is not reached. PD‐L1, programmed cell death‐ligand 1.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A classic example of a case of invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma, poorly differentiated, showing diffuse positivity for PD‐L1. (a) Hematoxylin & eosin stain, original magnification ×20; (b) PD‐L1 immunostaining with 22C3 antibody, 90% TPS, 90 CPS. CPS, combined positive score; PD‐L1, programmed cell death‐ligand 1; TPS, tumor proportion score.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot showing the impact of PD‐L1 expression on disease‐free survival in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. As shown by the direct contact of the summarizing box with the “1‐line,” statistical significance is not reached. PD‐L1, programmed cell death‐ligand 1.
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