The prognostic impact of programmed cell death ligand 1 and human leukocyte antigen class I in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is associated with an immunosuppressive tumor-microenvironment (TME) that supports the growth of tumors and mediates tumors enabling evasion of the immune system. Expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and loss of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I on tumor cells are methods by which tumors escape immunosurveillance. We examined immune cell infiltration, the expression of PD-L1 and HLA class I by PDA cells, and the correlation between these immunological factors and clinical prognosis. PDA samples from 36 patients were analyzed for HLA class I, HLA-DR, PD-L1, PD-1, CD4, CD8, CD56, CD68, and FoxP3 expression by immunohistochemistry. The correlations between the expression of HLA class I, HLA-DR, PD-L1 or PD-1 and the pattern of tumor infiltrating immune cells or the patients' prognosis were assessed. PD-L1 expression correlated with tumor infiltration by CD68+ and FoxP3+ cells. Low HLA class I expression was an only risk factor for poor survival. PD-L1 negative and HLA class I high-expressing PDA was significantly associated with higher numbers of infiltrating CD8+ T cells in the TME, and a better prognosis. Evaluation of both PD-L1 and HLA class I expression by PDA may be a good predictor of prognosis for patients. HLA class I expression by tumor cells should be evaluated when selecting PDA patients who may be eligible for treatment with PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade therapies.

Imai D ，Yoshizumi T ，Okano S ，Uchiyama H ，Ikegami T ，Harimoto N ，Itoh S ，Soejima Y ，Aishima S ，Oda Y ，Maehara Y ... -  《Cancer Medicine》

A Combination of Positive Tumor HLA-I and Negative PD-L1 Expression Provides an Immune Rejection Mechanism in Bladder Cancer.

Flores-Martín JF ，Perea F ，Exposito-Ruiz M ，Carretero FJ ，Rodriguez T ，Villamediana M ，Ruiz-Cabello F ，Garrido F ，Cózar-Olmo JM ，Aptsiauri N ... -  《-》

Prognostic impact of the tumor immune microenvironment in synovial sarcoma.

The association between the immune status within the tumor microenvironment and prognosis in synovial sarcoma is not well understood. We aimed to investigate the tumor immune microenvironment and analyze its prognostic impact for patients with synovial sarcoma. A total of 36 primary patients who were treated in our institution were retrospectively evaluated. Infiltration of lymphocytes (CD4+, CD8+, and FOXP3+), CD163+ macrophages, and expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, we investigated PD-L1 and programmed death ligand 2 (PD-L2) mRNA expression in 19 of the 36 cases, using real-time PCR. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate overall survival and progression-free survival. Infiltration of lymphocytes and macrophages varied among the patients. Furthermore, the expression of HLA class I was negative or downregulated in 11 specimens. No PD-L1 expression was observed using immunohistochemistry. Moreover, although PD-L1 mRNA expression was observed in 18 of 19 specimens, the expression level was low. A higher infiltration of CD8+ or FOXP3+ lymphocytes in patients was associated with a favorable overall survival. In addition, a higher infiltration of CD163+ macrophages indicated a significantly worse overall and progression-free survival. Infiltration of CD4+ lymphocytes, HLA class I, PD-L1, and PD-L2 expression were not associated with patient prognosis. This represents the first report investigating the tumor immune microenvironment as a prognostic factor in synovial sarcoma, indicating that CD163+ macrophages are associated with tumor progression. Our results underscore the clinical significance of the tumor immune microenvironment in synovial sarcoma.

Oike N ，Kawashima H ，Ogose A ，Hotta T ，Hatano H ，Ariizumi T ，Sasaki T ，Yamagishi T ，Umezu H ，Endo N ... -  《-》

IFN-γ Promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and the Expression of PD-L1 in Pancreatic Cancer.

Imai D ，Yoshizumi T ，Okano S ，Itoh S ，Ikegami T ，Harada N ，Aishima S ，Oda Y ，Maehara Y ... -  《-》

Prognostic impact of programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 expression in human leukocyte antigen class I-positive hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatectomy.

Umemoto Y ，Okano S ，Matsumoto Y ，Nakagawara H ，Matono R ，Yoshiya S ，Yamashita Y ，Yoshizumi T ，Ikegami T ，Soejima Y ，Harada M ，Aishima S ，Oda Y ，Shirabe K ，Maehara Y ... -  《-》