CELL INTELLIGENCE · 肿瘤细胞治疗研究

Biliary tract cancers are rare, with a poor patient prognosis. Leptin and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) influence CD8 + and forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) + lymphocytes, and thus, cancer cell growth. We aimed to define the prognostic implications of these variables and the clinicopathological features of biliary tract cancers.

Immunohistochemistry for leptin signaling-related proteins (leptin, leptin receptor, pSTAT3, extracellular-regulated kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin), PD-L1, CD8, and FOXP3 and in situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus-encoded small RNAs were performed in 147 cases of surgically-resected biliary tract cancers.

Immune cell PD-L1-positivity, tumor size < 3 cm, adjuvant chemotherapy, no recurrence, and early-stage tumors were correlated with better 5-year survival in the tumoral PD-L1 (-) and leptin (-) subgroups, and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma through multivariate analysis (all p < 0.05). Immune cell PD-L1 and adjuvant chemotherapy lost its prognostic significance in the tumoral PD-L1 + and leptin + subgroups.

The prognostic implication of the variables may depend upon tumoral protein expression and the anatomical site. Immune cell PD-L1-positivity and the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy may indicate the favorable survival of patients with surgically-resected biliary tract cancers, specifically, in the tumoral PD-L1 (-) or tumor leptin (-) subgroups and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. PD-L1- or leptin-targeted therapy combined with conventional chemotherapy may benefit the tumoral PD-L1 + or leptin + subgroups.