1. Efficiency of Cytology Samples for PD-L1 Evaluation and Comparison with Tissue Samples.
- Author
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KulaÇ İ, Aydin A, Bulutay P, and Firat P
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Biopsy, Biopsy, Needle, Female, Humans, Immunohistochemistry methods, Male, Middle Aged, B7-H1 Antigen analysis, Biomarkers, Tumor analysis, Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung diagnosis, Cytodiagnosis methods, Lung Neoplasms diagnosis
- Abstract
Objective: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death. PD-L1 blockers have become a first-line option for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Guidelines require the assessment of PD-L1 expression by immunohistochemistry. Although tissue samples are widely used, cytologic samples could be an alternative. In this study, we compared cytologic samples with tissue samples for PD-L1 evaluation in NSCLC cases., Material and Method: Koç University Hospital, Department of Pathology Laboratory Information System was scanned for all PD-L1 tests performed on NSCLC cases, either on tissue samples or cell blocks. The type of the biopsy/aspiration procedure, the tumor type, patient demographics, and the percentage of PD-L1 positive tumor cells were recorded. A total of 73 tissue samples and 49 cell blocks were found to be eligible for the study., Results: The PD-L1 positivity score was at least 1% in 44 of 73 samples of the tissue group and 19 of 49 samples of the cell block group. Tissue samples showed significantly higher positivity compared to the cell blocks (p=0.020). Comparing the frequency of cases with ≥50% positivity showed no statistically significant difference. A comparison of PD-L1 positivity rates of only the small biopsies and cell blocks also showed no significant difference., Conclusion: Although they harbor a limited number of tumor cells, cell blocks prepared from cytologic samples are good alternatives for PD-L1 testing. However, large resections should be used for PD-L1 evaluation whenever possible since even 1% positivity may affect the treatment decision.
- Published
- 2020
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