evaluation of programmed death - ligand 1 (pd-l1) expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background objective: head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (hnscc) is a highly frequent malignancy worldwide and is also the leading cause of death. the prognosis for individuals with hnscc remains dismal, with a five-year survival rate of less than 50%. the novel anti-pd-l1 immunotherapy is found to be promising, and immunohistochemistry (ihc) has been established as a reliable method for patient stratification. we intend to evaluate the prognostic significance of the expression of programmed death ligand-1 (pd-l1) in hnscc and determine its association with clinicopathological variables.methods: a total of 50 cases of biopsy-confirmed hnscc were studied in a tertiary hospital between dec 2020 and june 2022. the specimens were tested for pd-l1 ihc expression with antibody clone cal-10 (biocare) and scored by combined positive score (cps). the association between pd-l1 expression and clinicopathological variables was evaluated.results: pd-l1 was positive in 92% of the cases, and a significant association (p= 0.024) was seen between pd-l1 expression and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (tils). pd-l1 did not show any significant association with patient demographics, tumor site, grade, or stage.conclusion: in the present study, evaluation of the immunohistochemical expression of pd-l1 on the tumor cells and tils in hnscc revealed a high prevalence of pd-l1 expression. pd-l1 ihc studies for patient selection for immunotherapy would be a promising technique. frequent pd-l1 expression in tumors with significant tils may be useful in identifying patients who may benefit from anti-pd-1/pd-l1 therapy.