Comparative analysis of PDL1 and cluster of differentiation 68 marker expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients: Correlation with depth of invasion and immunofluorescence through immunohistochemistry

Abstract

Background: Over the past 5 years, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of
head‑and‑neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has increased. Both programmed death-ligand
1 (PD‑L1) and cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68) are overexpressed in various carcinomas.
Consequently, evaluating the expression of CD68 and PD‑L1 in HNSCC lesions may lead to detecting
a possible marker for HNSCC. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of PDL1 and CD68
markers in a patient with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and examine its relationship with
depth of invasion (DOI) and immunofluorescence (IF) through immunohistochemistry.
Materials and Methods: This cross‑sectional study was conducted in the School of Dentistry,
Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial
Pathology. Thirty‑four paraffin blocks and demographic information of 15 female and 19 male
OSCC patients were collected. Following sample preparations, immunohistochemical staining was
performed. Subsequently, each tissue section was analyzed for tumor‑infiltrating lymphocytes by
CD68 marker and PD‑L1 expression. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software (version 25).
Chi‑square, Shapiro–Wilk, and independent t‑analytical tests were employed for statistical
assessments. P < 0.05 was remarked as statistically significant.
Results: CD68 and PDL1 expression in the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) group was higher than
the control group (P < 0.001). There was an increasing expression of PDL1 and CD68 as the grade
of the disease progressed (P < 0.001 for each), as well as an increasing expression of IF and DOI.
Conclusion: The expression levels of CD68 and PDL1 were elevated in SCC tissues in comparison
to the unaffected, healthy parts of the tissue section.
Key Words: Cluster of differentiation 68, diagnosis, immunofluorescence, oral cancer,
programmed death‑ligand 1

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Mehdi Shahabinejad: Pubmed,Google Scholar