PD-L1 and PD-1 expression in thyroid follicular epithelial dysplasia : Hashimoto thyroiditis related atypia and potential papillary carcinoma precursor

Abstract

Programmed cell death ligand (PD-L1)/PD-1 expression has been studied in a variety of cancers and blockage of PD-L1/PD-1 pathway is a cornerstone of immunotherapy. We studied PD-L1/PD-1 immunohistochemical expression in 47 thyroid gland specimens in groups of (1) Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) only; (2) HT and follicular epithelial dysplasia (FED); and (3) HT, FED, and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). PD-1 positivity was found in immune cells, namely in lymphocytes, macrophages, and plasma cells with mean values for lymphocytes and macrophages 9% in HT group, 4% in FED group, and 4% in PTC group. PD-L1 positivity was identified in both immune cells and in the normal epithelial cells. In the HT group, mean PD-L1 staining on immune cells was 6%, in FED group 5%, and in PTC group 7%. The mean PD-L1 staining on the epithelial cells in the inflammatory parenchyma was 11.7% in HT, 13.4% in FED, and 8.3% in PTC group. The mean PD-L1 staining of FED foci was 47.2% in FED group and 33.6% in PTC group. The mean tumor proportion score (TPS) was 10.4%, and the mean combined positive score (CPS) was 15.5. At the moment, PTC is not a target of immunotherapy. However, understanding the complex issue of concurrent inflammation and autoimmunity can importantly influence the cancer treatment in future.