Jie Xu

Title : PD-L1 Expression in anaplastic large cell lymphoma

Abstract:

The programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) pathway is a recently recognized mechanism of tumor immune evasion.  In our study, programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was evaluated in patients with systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma: including ALK+ and ALK-negative cases.  ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma was more often positive for PD-L1 than ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma.  ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma showed a strong correlation between PD-L1 expression and STAT3 activation.  In contrast, the PD-L1/pSTAT3 correlation was weaker in ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma.  In ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma, the PD-L1+ subgroup was more often EMA positive and tended to be less often CD2 positive.  In ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma, PD-L1 was not associated with pathologic features.  Negative ALK status and high IPI score (> 3) were associated with shorter overall survival.  Overall survival was not different between patients with PD-L1+ versus PD-L1-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma, regardless of ALK status and International Prognostic Index (IPI) score.  We conclude that PD-L1 expression is more common in ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma than ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma.  In ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma, PD-L1 is strongly correlated with STAT3 activation and is associated with more frequent EMA and less frequent CD2 expression.  PD-L1 has no prognostic significance in predicting the outcome of patients with systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma, regardless of ALK status.  PD-L1 expression on the anaplastic large cell lymphoma cells suggests these patients as potential candidates for PD-1 blockade immunotherapy.

Audience Takeaway:

• PD-L1 expression is high in ALK+ ALCL and relatively lower in ALK-negative ALCL.
• PD-1 immunotherapy may be used in treating patients with ALCL.
• The underlying mechanisms of PD-L1 expression in ALCL needs further investigation.

Biography:

Jie Xu has received her MD from Hubei Medical University and PhD from University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is board certified by the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, and Hematology. In addition to clinical responsibilities, Dr. Xu has been actively participating in multiple research projects, leading to more than 120 papers. Her research has been supported by multiple funds. She serves as members of editorial boards for 5 journals and ad hoc reviewers for 16 prestigious journals.