{"title":"Assessing PD-L1 Expression in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Trials and Tribulations.","authors":"Ruben Bill, William C Faquin, Sara I Pai","doi":"10.1007/s12105-023-01590-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved the outcome of patients diagnosed with inoperable recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, as only a subset of head and neck cancer patients benefit from this treatment, biomarkers predicting treatment response help guide physicians in their clinical decision-making. PD-L1 expression assessed by immunohistochemistry is the single most clinically relevant biomarker predicting response to PD-1-blocking antibodies. Here, we discuss in which clinical context assessment of PD-L1 expression is instrumental for the choice of therapy, how pathologists score it, and how it affects the approval of anti-PD-1 antibodies. Furthermore, we discuss the heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression and review technical aspects of determining this prominent biomarker-knowledge that might influence clinical decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":47972,"journal":{"name":"Head & Neck Pathology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10739626/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Head & Neck Pathology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-023-01590-6","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2023/11/6 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PATHOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved the outcome of patients diagnosed with inoperable recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, as only a subset of head and neck cancer patients benefit from this treatment, biomarkers predicting treatment response help guide physicians in their clinical decision-making. PD-L1 expression assessed by immunohistochemistry is the single most clinically relevant biomarker predicting response to PD-1-blocking antibodies. Here, we discuss in which clinical context assessment of PD-L1 expression is instrumental for the choice of therapy, how pathologists score it, and how it affects the approval of anti-PD-1 antibodies. Furthermore, we discuss the heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression and review technical aspects of determining this prominent biomarker-knowledge that might influence clinical decision-making.
期刊介绍:
Head & Neck Pathology presents scholarly papers, reviews and symposia that cover the spectrum of human surgical pathology within the anatomic zones of the oral cavity, sinonasal tract, larynx, hypopharynx, salivary gland, ear and temporal bone, and neck.
The journal publishes rapid developments in new diagnostic criteria, intraoperative consultation, immunohistochemical studies, molecular techniques, genetic analyses, diagnostic aids, experimental pathology, cytology, radiographic imaging, and application of uniform terminology to allow practitioners to continue to maintain and expand their knowledge in the subspecialty of head and neck pathology. Coverage of practical application to daily clinical practice is supported with proceedings and symposia from international societies and academies devoted to this field.
Single-blind peer review
The journal follows a single-blind review procedure, where the reviewers are aware of the names and affiliations of the authors, but the reviewer reports provided to authors are anonymous. Single-blind peer review is the traditional model of peer review that many reviewers are comfortable with, and it facilitates a dispassionate critique of a manuscript.