Association of Programmed Death Ligand-1 Overexpression with the Grade and Stage of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

ABSTARCT Programmed Death Ligand-1(PD-L) expression can be used to predict targeted therapy against PD-L1/PD-1 pathway in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Forty-nine patients were included in the study. Out of the total, 42 well differentiated tumor 3 (7.1%) exhibited strong PD-L1 membranous and cytoplasmic staining, 14 (33.3%) weak staining, and 25 (29.5%) negative staining. Moderately differentiated tumor, (6/49), showed strong staining in 1 (16.7%), weak in none, and negative in 5 (83.3%) cases. Poorly differentiated tumor (1/1) showed strong staining (100%) (p = 0.018). Stage I tumors (n = 38) showed strong staining pattern in 4 (10.5%) cases, weak in 10 (26.3%), and negative in 24 (63.2%) cases. Stage II (n = 8) tumors had strong PD-L1 expression in 1 (12.5%), weak in 3 (37.5%), and negative in 4 (50%) cases. Stage III had negative in 2/3 (66.7%), weak in 1/3 (33.3%) cases, (p = 0.929). Key Word: Grade, PD-L1, Stage, Squamous cell carcinoma, Oral cracinoma.