Immunohistochemical Expression and Clinicopathological Assessment of PD-1, PD-L1, NY-ESO-1, and MAGE-A4 Expression in Desmoid Tumor

Background/Aim: The action of immune molecular mechanisms in the intratumor microenvironment in desmoid tumors (DTs) remains unclear. The purpose of this research was to clarify the expression patterns of PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint pathways and NY-ESO-1/MAGE-A4 molecular pathways in DTs. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis of CD4, CD8, PD-1, PD-L1, NY-ESO-1, and MAGE-A4 were carried out on biopsy specimens collected from patients with DT managed at our hospital. In addition, relationships between the expression frequencies of each immune marker were explored. Results: In this study, four male and five female patients were recruited, with a mean age of 37.0 years (range=11-84 years). The average ± S.D. percentage of cells positive for β-catenin, CD4, CD8, PD-1, PD-L1, NY-ESO-1, and MAGE-A4 was 43.9±18.9, 14.6±6.80, 0.75±4.70, 0±0, 5.1±6.73, 30±21.6, and 68.9±20.8, respectively. β-catenin correlated moderately and positively with CD4 (r=0.49), weakly and positively with PD-L1 (r=0.25), and strongly and positively with NY-ESO-1 (r=0.52). CD4 showed a moderate positive correlation with PD-L1 (r=0.36), while NY-ESO-1 correlated moderately and positively with MAGE-A4 (r=0.42). Conclusion: The NY-ESO-1/MAGEA4 immune pathway may play a more prominent role than the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint pathway within the tumor microenvironment of DT.