PD-L1 expression in Xp11.2 translocation renal cell carcinoma: Indicator of tumor aggressiveness

Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), a promising antitumor target, has proven clinical value against many malignancies. However, the PD-L1 content of Xp11.2 translocation renal cell carcinoma (Xp11.2 RCC) and its correlation with clinical outcomes remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate PD-L1 expression in Xp11.2 RCC and to assess its prognostic value. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens from 36 adult patients that were histologically confirmed (by fluorescence in situ hybridization) were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis. Of the 36 Xp11.2 RCC patients, 9 (25.0%) had tumors with positive PD-L1 expression and 27 (75.0%) had tumors with negative PD-L1 expression. Positive PD-L1 expression correlated with advanced tumor stage (P = 0.001), regional lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001), and distant metastasis (P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis identified positive PD-L1 expression was an independent adverse prognostic factor for both progression free survival (hazard ratio: 3.7, P = 0.018) and overall survival (hazard ratio: 4.5, P = 0.034). The median PFS and OS for the whole cohort were 13.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.4–16.6 months) and 36.0 months (95% CI, 23.9–48.1 months), respectively. Our findings suggest that positive PD-L1 expression is indicative of worse clinical outcome in Xp11.2 RCC. Further studies are needed to explore the potential efficacy of targeting PD-L1 in Xp11.2 RCC.