Association between PD-L1 and HPV Status and the Prognostic Value of PD-L1 in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has been recognized as an immunosuppressive disease. Various mechanisms have been proposed for immune escape, including dysregulation of immune checkpoints such as the programmed cell death 1:programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway. We investigated the expression of PD-L1 in human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative and HPV-positive OSCC to determine its prevalence and prognostic relevance.