OBJECTIVE

To investigate programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression patterns and define the associations among PD-L1, molecular subtypes, pathological features, and survival in a cohort of 833 patients with endometrial cancer, of whom approximately half had high-risk disease.

METHODS

Using direct sequencing of the polymerase epsilon (POLE) exonuclease domain as well as immunohistochemistry for mismatch repair (MMR) proteins (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6) and p53, we stratified endometrial cancers into four molecular subtypes: POLE ultramutated, MMR-deficient, p53-mutant, and non-specific molecular profile (NSMP). PD-L1 was detected via immunohistochemistry and evaluated in tumor cells (TCs) and immune cells (ICs) individually and using the combined positive score (CPS).

RESULTS

Positive PD-L1 staining in TCs (≥1%), ICs (≥1%), and in combination (CPS ≥1) was detected in 14.0%, 37.3%, and 45.1% of the samples, respectively. PD-L1 positivity in TCs was more frequent in high-grade than in low-grade tumors, while that in ICs was associated with lymphovascular space invasion, non-endometrioid histology, and deep myometrial invasion. PD-L1 expression in both TCs and ICs was more frequent in POLE ultramutated and MMR-deficient subtypes than in p53-mutant and NSMP subtypes. PD-L1 positivity in TCs, but not in ICs or combined (CPS), was associated with a favorable prognosis in patients with high-risk endometrial cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

The distribution and prognostic significance of PD-L1 in TCs versus ICs differ in patients with endometrial cancer, indicating that the separate assessment of PD-L1 in these cells (rather than determining the CPS) may be more relevant to selecting patients eligible for endometrial cancer immunotherapy.