Immune checkpoint expression in HNSCC patients before and after definitive chemoradiotherapy

  • Background Primary platinum-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT) remains the treatment of choice for nonresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). Immune-checkpoint modulators are used as palliative therapy and studied in combination with definitive CRT. However, the immunological changes by CRT need yet to be understood. Methods A cohort consisting of 67 paired tissue biopsies (N = 134) of HNSCC patients before and after CRT was created. The expression of PD-1, PD-L1, and CD27 of tumor and immune cells by immunohistochemistry was evaluated. Results PD-L1 expression on immune cells of non-responders was significantly lower before CRT (P = .008). CD27 was expressed only on immune cells and not on cancer cells. A significant lower CD27-expression score was observed following CRT (P = .019). Conclusions Conventional CRT changes the expression of CD27 in the tumor microenvironment. Whether this is due to a loss of expression or a reduction of CD27+ cellsBackground Primary platinum-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT) remains the treatment of choice for nonresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). Immune-checkpoint modulators are used as palliative therapy and studied in combination with definitive CRT. However, the immunological changes by CRT need yet to be understood. Methods A cohort consisting of 67 paired tissue biopsies (N = 134) of HNSCC patients before and after CRT was created. The expression of PD-1, PD-L1, and CD27 of tumor and immune cells by immunohistochemistry was evaluated. Results PD-L1 expression on immune cells of non-responders was significantly lower before CRT (P = .008). CD27 was expressed only on immune cells and not on cancer cells. A significant lower CD27-expression score was observed following CRT (P = .019). Conclusions Conventional CRT changes the expression of CD27 in the tumor microenvironment. Whether this is due to a loss of expression or a reduction of CD27+ cells must be evaluated in further analyses.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author:Johannes DoescherORCiDGND, Peter Minkenberg, Simon Laban, Ulrike Kostezka, Adrian Witzleben, Thomas Karl Hoffmann, Patrick Johannes Schuler, Stephanie Ellen Weissinger
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:384-opus4-1013875
Frontdoor URLhttps://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/101387
ISSN:1043-3074OPAC
ISSN:1097-0347OPAC
Parent Title (English):Head & Neck
Publisher:Wiley
Type:Article
Language:English
Year of first Publication:2021
Publishing Institution:Universität Augsburg
Release Date:2023/01/30
Tag:Otorhinolaryngology
Volume:43
Issue:3
First Page:778
Last Page:787
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.26534
Institutes:Medizinische Fakultät
Medizinische Fakultät / Universitätsklinikum
Medizinische Fakultät / Lehrstuhl für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Licence (German):CC-BY-NC 4.0: Creative Commons: Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell (mit Print on Demand)