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Review
. 2023 Jul 13:13:1170220.
doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1170220. eCollection 2023.

The predictive role of soluble programmed death ligand 1 in digestive system cancers

Jian Ruan  1 , Zhihong Zhao  2 , Yuting Qian  1 , Ruilian Xu  1 , Guixiang Liao  1 , Feng-Ming Spring Kong  3   4
Affiliations
Review

The predictive role of soluble programmed death ligand 1 in digestive system cancers

Jian Ruan et al. Front Oncol. .

Abstract

Introduction: The prognostic role of soluble programmed death ligand 1 (sPD-L1) in digestive system cancers (DSCs) remains inconclusive. This study aimed to explore the predictive value of sPD-L1 expression in DSCs.

Methods: Comprehensive searches were run on the electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library) to identify studies that assessed the prognostic role of sPD-L1 in DSCs. Review Manager software (version 5.3) was used for all analyses. Pooled data for survival outcomes were measured as hazard ratios (HRs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and odds ratios and their 95% CIs.

Results: The search identified 18 studies involving 2,070 patients with DSCs. The meta-outcome revealed that a high level of sPD-L1 was related to poorer overall survival (HR, 3.06; 95% CI: 2.22-4.22, p<0.001) and disease-free survival (HR, 2.53; 95% CI: 1.67-3.83, p<0.001) in DSCs. Individually, the prognostic significance of high level of sPD-L1 expression was the highest in hepatic cell carcinoma (HR, 4.76; p<0.001) followed by gastric cancer (HR=3.55, p<0.001).

Conclusion: sPD-L1 may be a prognostic factor in DSCs for overall survival and disease-free survival. Inflammatory cytokines, treatment approaches, and other factors may affect the expression of sPD-L1. Therefore, the prognostic value of sPD-L1 for recurrence and metastasis should be further investigated. sPD-L1 may also predict response to treatment. Well-designed prospective studies with standard assessment methods should be conducted to determine the prognostic value of sPD-L1 in DSCs.

Keywords: digestive system cancers; gastric cancer; overall survival; prognosis; soluble programmed death ligand 1.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The flowchart of study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of hazard ratio (HR) for the relationship between sPD-L1 level and overall survival (OS).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of hazard ratio (HR) for the relationship between sPD-L1 level and disease-free survival (DFS).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sensitivity analysis by omitted every single study.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Publication bias evaluated by Begg’s test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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