PD-L1+NEUT, Foxp3+Treg, and NLR as New Prognostic Marker with Low Survival Benefits Value in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background

This presented study was aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of PD-L1+Neutrophils (PD-L1+NEUT) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) based on our previous experience of Foxp3+Treg in transplantation.

Methods

the NLR cutoff value of 1.79 was used to include 136 cases from the 204 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) confirmed by clinical pathology, which were divided into highly-moderately and poorly differentiated HCC groups. The expressions of PD-L1+NEUT and Foxp3+Treg in peripheral blood and cancer tissue were detected with flow cytometry, meanwhile, PD-L1 and Foxp3 expressed in carcinoma and para-carcinoma tissues were marked by immunohistochemistry. Survival rates, including overall survival and disease-free survival, were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier curve and evaluated with the log-rank test. Finally, Cox risk regression model was used to analyze the independent risk factors for prognostic survival.

Results

The level of PD-L1+NEUT, Foxp3+Treg, and NLR in peripheral blood of patients with poorly differentiated HCC were significantly increased (all P < .001). Both PD-L1+NEUT and NLR were positively correlated with Foxp3+Treg (r = 0.479, P = .0017; r = 0.58, P < .0001). The level of PD-L1+NEUT and Foxp3+Treg as well as PD-L1 and Foxp3 in cancer tissue and patients with poorly differentiated HCC were obviously increased (all P < .01), respectively. Cox regression analysis indicated that PD-L1+NEUT, NLR, and Foxp3+Treg were independent risk factors for the prognosis (P = .000, .000, .006) with a RR and 95%CI of 2.704-(2.155-3.393), 3.139-(2.361-4.173), 1.409-(1.105-1.798), respectively.

Conclusion

PD-L1+NEUT, NLR, and Foxp3+Treg are independent risk factors for prognosis which maybe new marker of lower survival benefits.