Heterogeneity of PD-L1 Expression Between the Primary Tumor and Matched Lymph Node Metastases in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas

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Background: The role of immune checkpoint inhibition in treating head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is expanding, yet response rates to PD-L1 therapy remain inconsistent and generally poor. Although several studies have examined heterogeneous intratumoral PD-L1 expression, the disparity in response to PD-L1 therapy between primary tumors and their associated lymph node metastases remains unclear. Methods: Primary tumor samples and two matching lymph node metastases were obtained from a cohort of 50 patients and immunohistochemically stained with a PD-L1 antibody. PD-L1 expression, assessed using the combined positive score (CPS) and tumor proportion score (TPS), and immune infiltration, measured with an immunoreactive score (IRS), were compared between the primary tumor and lymph node metastases. These measures were then correlated with other histopathological and clinical features. Results: PD-L1 expression, evaluated by CPS and TPS, showed no significant differences between the primary tumor and matched lymph node metastases. Discordance relative to established regulatory cut-offs was observed in a subset of patients, affecting 18% (CPS; 95% CI, 8.0–30.0%) and 4% (TPS; 95% CI, 0.0–10.0%) of cases. CPS and TPS values were not influenced by primary tumor subsite or HPV status. Conversely, immune infiltration measured by IRS was significantly affected by primary tumor subsite location. Both HPV tumor status and primary tumor subsite were statistically significantly associated with overall survival. Conclusions: Our findings highlight variability in PD-L1 expression in HNSCC and may offer context for differential responses of primary tumors and lymph node metastases to immune checkpoint therapy reported in recent clinical studies. These observations support the need for a more comprehensive characterization of PD-L1 expression across tumor sites in head and neck cancer. Further investigation is required to determine whether, and in which settings, reassessment of PD-L1 status in metastatic lesions—including lymph node metastases—may provide additional clinically relevant information when initial testing does not meet established therapeutic cut-offs.

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