Aplicabilidade de PD-L1 e infiltrado inflamatório como biomarcadores de prognóstico em carcinoma epidermóide de laringe

Abstract

Understanding the tumor microenvironment and the inflammatory agents involved in the process of initiation and dissemination of cancer are essential to reveal biomarkers of tumor progression, in addition to clarifying their prognostic value. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of PD-L1 and inflammatory infiltrate as prognostic biomarkers in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Clinicopathological data and tumor tissue samples from 30 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were obtained and analyzed. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio was established from pre-treatment blood count results. Slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin were analyzed for the pattern of tumor lymphocytic infiltrate. Slides were prepared for double-labeling immunohistochemistry of tumor-associated neutrophils and PD-L1 expression. Statistical analysis was performed through the association of variables, using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio was dichotomized according to the cut-off point, established by means of an ROC curve. Overall survival and disease-free survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparisons between survival curves were performed using the Log-Rank test. The results obtained showed a significant relationship between low neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and overall survival at 36 months (p=0.005). There was no significance in the overall survival correlations with tumor-associated neutrophils, tumor lymphocytic infiltrate and PD-L1. There was also no significant relationship of disease-free survival with these biomarkers. The clinicopathological variables did not show a significant relationship with the biomarkers. These findings suggest that the neutrophillymphocyte ratio can be considered a prognostic biomarker in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and that other factors may be associated with prognosis and further investigations are necessary for elucidation.