Clear cell ovarian cancers with microsatellite instability: A unique subset of ovarian cancers with increased tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and PD-1/PD-L1 expression

oleh: Brooke E. Howitt, Kyle C. Strickland, Lynette M. Sholl, Scott Rodig, Lauren L. Ritterhouse, Dipanjan Chowdhury, Alan D. D'Andrea, Ursula A. Matulonis, Panagiotis A. Konstantinopoulos

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Taylor & Francis Group 2017-02-01

Deskripsi

Clear cell ovarian carcinoma (CCOC) represents a distinct histologic subtype of ovarian cancer associated with significantly worse prognosis across all stages and no effective therapeutic options. Here, we report a rare but clinically important cohort of CCOCs with microsatellite instability (MSI) (MSI-CCOCs), which are highly immunogenic and may thus be very responsive to immune checkpoint blockade. CCOCs with MSI exhibit a significantly higher number of CD8+ TILs, higher CD8+/CD4+ ratio, and higher PD-1+ TILs compared with microsatellite stable (MSS) CCOCs and compared with high grade serous ovarian cancers, which are the most common histologic subtype of ovarian cancer. Of note, PD-L1 expression in tumor cells or immune cells was noted in all cases of CCOCs with MSI. These observations open an alternative therapeutic avenue for a fraction of patients with CCOC and argue for the routine testing of CCOCs for MSI, a test that is not currently routinely performed.