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

Abstract

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_reg 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_reg 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_reg cells, PD-1⁺ CD8⁺ T cells, PD-1⁺ CD4⁺ T cells, and PD-1⁺ T_reg 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.

Keywords: cervical cancer; concurrent chemoradiotherapy; prognosis; programmed cell death 1; programmed cell death 1 ligand.