PD-1/PD-L1 Correlates With the Efficacy of the Treatment of Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Cervical Cancer.

BACKGROUND

Cervical cancer (CC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, with high mortality rates. The programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/(PD-1 ligand) PD-L1 has been reported to be an effective indicator in cancer development. In this study, we aim to explore the role of PD-1/PD-L1 in the evaluation of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) efficacy and prognosis in CC patients.

METHODS

We included 55 CC patients in this study. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry were employed to detect the expression of PD-1, T cells, CD8, and CD68 in tumor tissues, and the contents of PD-1 CD8 T cells, PD-1 CD4 T cells, and PD-1 T cells in the peripheral blood. The relationships of these indexes with CCRT efficacy were measured by Spearman correlation analysis, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier estimator, and the diagnostic values of these indexes in CC were assessed by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTS

The clinical effectivity rate of CCRT was 89.10%. The positive expressions of PD-L1, T cells, PD-1 CD8 T cells, PD-1 CD4 T cells, and PD-1 T cells were reduced after CCRT, while the CD8 and CD68 increased. All 7 indexes had diagnostic values in evaluating CCRT efficacy and were considered the influencing factors of OS, DFS, and the prognosis of CC patients.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate that PD-1/PD-L1 may be a potential indicator for the efficacy evaluation of CCRT and the prognosis of CC. This study may offer potential targets for CC treatment.