Spatial heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression influence its assessment in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a promising treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the predictive value of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, the most common biomarker for immunotherapy, remains controversial, particularly in the neoadjuvant setting. We hypothesized that the spatial heterogeneous of PD-L1 expression within tumors might render limited biopsy samples unrepresentative of the bulk tumor. In this study, we assessed the spatial heterogeneity in PD-L1 expression within ESCC by sampling four distinct regions using endoscopic biopsy forceps and the largest longitudinal sections on complete resected tumor from treatment-naïve patients. Our findings demonstrated the insufficiency of using limited biopsy tumor tissue to accurately determine the c

SUBMITTER: Yu B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12205590 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature