Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 21, 2025; 31(19): 106644
Published online May 21, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i19.106644
Pescadillo ribosomal biogenesis factor 1 and programmed death-ligand 1 in gastric and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Xiao-Nan Hu, Chun-Feng Li, Si-Meng Huang, Chun-Lei Nie, Rui Pang
Xiao-Nan Hu, Department of Head and Neck Radiotherapy Ward, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, Heilongjiang Province, China
Chun-Feng Li, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgical Ward, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, Heilongjiang Province, China
Si-Meng Huang, Chun-Lei Nie, Rui Pang, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, Heilongjiang Province, China
Co-first authors: Xiao-Nan Hu and Chun-Lei Nie.
Author contributions: Hu XN, Li CF, Huang SM, and Nie CL contributed to the research design, data collection, data analysis, and paper writing; Pang R was responsible for the research design, funding application, data analysis, reviewing and editing, communication coordination, ethical review, copyright and licensing, and follow-up; All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Hu XN and Nie CL contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.
Institutional review board statement: The research was reviewed and approved by the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Harbin Medical University.
Informed consent statement: All research participants or their legal guardians provided written informed consent prior to study registration.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflicts of interest were associated with this work.
Data sharing statement: No other data available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Rui Pang, Deputy Director, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, No. 150 Haping Road, Harbin 150081, Heilongjiang Province, China. 3151@hrbmu.edu.cn
Received: March 7, 2025
Revised: April 7, 2025
Accepted: April 23, 2025
Published online: May 21, 2025
Processing time: 74 Days and 22.1 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are common malignancies with high morbidity and mortality rates. Traditional treatments often yield limited efficacy, especially in advanced cases. Recent advancements in immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), have shown promise. However, the expression and interaction of pescadillo ribosomal biogenesis factor 1 (PES1) and PD-L1 in these cancers remain unclear. Understanding their roles could provide new insights into tumor biology and improve therapeutic strategies.

AIM

To investigate the expression levels of PES1 and PD-L1 in tumor tissues of patients with GC and HNSCC.

METHODS

A total of 58 cases of GC and HNSCC undergoing surgical resection were selected from January 2022 to January 2024. Paraffin specimens of GC and HNSCC tissues were taken from the patients, and the sections were subjected to staining with immunohistochemistry and hematoxylin-eosin staining, and the protein expression of PES1 and PD-L1 was observed microscopically.

RESULTS

Among 58 GC and HNSCC tissues, 30 cases were positive and 28 cases were negative for PES1 expression, and 34 cases were positive and 24 cases were negative for PD-L1 expression. The positive expression rates of PES1 and PD-L1 were 51.72% and 58.62%, respectively. PES1 expression was correlated with the TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, and the depth of infiltration (P < 0.05), and PD-L1 expression was correlated with the differentiation degree, lymph node metastasis, and infiltration depth (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

PES1 and PD-L1 were positively expressed in GC and HNSCC tissues and correlated with clinical features. They may serve as potential biomarkers for immune-targeted therapies.

Keywords: Pescadillo ribosomal biogenesis factor 1; Programmed death-ligand 1; Gastric cancer; Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; Expression level

Core Tip: This study investigated the expression of pescadillo ribosomal biogenesis factor 1 (PES1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in tumor tissues from patients with gastric cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. We found that both proteins exhibited significant positive expression rates (51.72% for PES1 and 58.62% for PD-L1) and were associated with clinical features such as TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Our results suggest that PES1 and PD-L1 may play critical roles in tumor progression and immune escape, potentially serving as biomarkers for immune-targeted therapies.