PD-L1 in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: History
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Contributor:
Xin Chen
,
Jie Li
,
Yue Chen
,
Ziting Que
,
Jiawei Du
,
Jianqiong Zhang

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate of approximately 5–10%. The immune checkpoint blockade represented by PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors has been effective in a variety of solid tumors. 

  • pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
  • immune checkpoint
  • cancer immunotherapy
  • PD-L1

1. Introduction

Despite the advancements in conventional systemic therapy, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive cancers, with a 5-year survival rate approaching 5–10% in 2020 [1][2]. In 2021, it became the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality and is projected to overtake lung cancer as the second leading cause by 2030 [3]. Since most patients (80–85%) have locally advanced or metastatic cancer at first diagnosis, conventional chemotherapy based on drugs such as fluorouracil and gemcitabine remain the main treatment for patients with PDAC. Metastatic PDAC has a median overall survival (OS) of less than a year, and locally-progressing unresectable PDAC is only marginally better [4][5].
PDAC patients account for over 90% of all cases of pancreatic cancer. The majority of PDAC originate from pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias, which advance through the acquisition of genetic changes and culminate in the formation of overt PDAC. A minority of PDAC arises from cystic neoplasms [4]. PDAC is characterized histologically by a severely desmoplastic tumor microenvironment (TME), which comprises around 70% of tumor tissue. This fibrotic milieu is produced by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) [6]. The TME of PDAC consists of immune cells, CAFs, neurons, vessels, and extracellular matrix components such as collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid [7].
Over the past decade, inhibiting the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway has shown promising results. Although good clinical responses have been achieved in some solid and hematologic tumors, such as melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), PDAC is mostly resistant to immunotherapies [8]. The profoundly immunosuppressive TME of PDAC should be primarily responsible for this outcome, as regulatory T cells (Treg), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), and numerous M2 tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) infiltrate the TME and inhibit the migration and activation of T cells [6][9]. In addition to the regulatory immunological signature, an effector immune infiltrate, including CD3, CD4, and CD8 T cells, is also present in PDAC [10][11]. The B7 family is an immunoglobulin superfamily, and secondary signaling for T cell activation is dependent on the B7 family. Immune checkpoints of the B7 family play a key role in regulating the critical bidirectional signals that drive T cell activation and self-tolerance. The B7 family can produce positive signals to initiate and sustain T cell activity as well as negative signals to regulate and inhibit T cell responses. Ultimately, the T cell immune response is determined by the equilibrium between co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory signals [12][13]. The T cells that infiltrate the TME of PDAC interact with tumor cells (TCs) and immunosuppressive cells, exhibiting an “exhausted” phenotype. When the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is disrupted, clinical trials show no clinical effect on PDAC, indicating that T cells’ anti-tumor function cannot be restored. This disappointing result demonstrates the urgent need to discover more novel immune checkpoints in the TME of PDAC [14][15].
The B7 family members have attracted much attention due to their crucial roles in immune evasion and tumorigenesis, and a variety of preclinical and clinical treatments have been established based on them. To date, the B7 family consists of 11 members: B7-1 (CD80), B7-2 (CD86), B7-H1 (PD-L1, CD274), PD-L2 (PDCD1LG2, B7-DC, CD273), B7-H2 (CD275, ICOS-L, B7RP1), B7-H3 (CD276), B7-H4 (B7x, Vtcn1, B7S1), VISTA (B7-H5, GI24, DD1α, SISP1), B7-H6 (NCR3LG1), HHLA2 (B7-H7), and ILDR2 [13]. It has been shown that some B7 family members receive multiple signaling pathways and are widely expressed on a variety of different cell surfaces in the TME of PDAC. Some molecules belonging to the B7 family in the TME of PDAC have been proven to not only regulate the activation or suppression signals of immune cells but also participate in tumor development, invasion, drug resistance, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) independent of their immune functions [12][16][17][18][19].

2. PD-L1

This programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), which belongs to the B7 family, is a ligand for PD-1 found in a variety of tumors. A high expression level of PD-L1 is found primarily in TCs but can also be found in epithelial cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, lymphocytes, etc., in the TME of PDAC [20][21]. PD-1 is predominantly expressed in activated lymphocytes. The PD-1 and PD-L1 signaling pathways can suppress the activation of immune cells and induce T cell apoptosis, leading to the exhaustion of activated immune cells and promoting the infiltration of Tregs [22]. Soluble PD-L1, which is a type of PD-L1, is detected in the blood of some patients with PDAC and has predictive significance [23][24]. Multiple studies have demonstrated the association between a high expression level of PD-L1 in patients with PDAC and a poor prognosis [21][22][24].
Immune checkpoint monoclonal antibody (mAb) inhibitors targeting PD-1/PD-L1 have achieved higher objective response rates (ORR) with very few adverse events in patients with hematological tumors and numerous solid tumors, such as NSCLC, gastric cancer, and melanoma, by disrupting the immunosuppressive microenvironment and reactivating T cells [8][25][26]. However, the benefit of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors alone in patients with PDAC is limited due to the complex TME, which exhibits an immunosuppressive immune “desert” phenotype [27]. In a phase I multicenter study in 2012 that included 207 cancer patients to receive an anti-PD-L1 antibody, no objective response was observed in 14 patients with PDAC [28]. To overcome resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and combine different anti-tumor treatment mechanisms, clinical researchers are combining PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, or other immunotherapies [28]. Multiple therapeutic strategies that are being evaluated are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1. Ongoing clinical trials targeting B7 family members in PDAC.
Agent/Drug Combination Regimens Targets Phase Number Enrolled Trial ID Primary Outcome(s)
Pembrolizumab Cyclophosphamide + GVAX + SBR PD-1 II 58 NCT02648282 DMFS
Defactinib PD-1 I/II 59 NCT02758587 AEs, DLTs, MTD
Cyclophosphamide + GVAX + IMC-CS4 PD-1 Early I 12 NCT03153410 CD8 T cell density, AEs
Epacadostat + CRS-207 + CY + GVAX PD-1 II 40 NCT03006302 DMFS
Olaparib PD-1 II 20 NCT05093231 ORR
Cabozantinib PD-1 II 21 NCT05052723 PFS
Defactinib PD-1 II 36 NCT03727880 pCR rate
ENB003 PD-1 I/II 130 NCT04205227 ORR, TRAEs
ONC-392 PD-1 I/II 468 NCT04140526 DLT, MTD, TRAEs, RP2D
Tadalafil
Ipilimumab
CRS-207		 PD-1 II 20 NCT05014776 ORR
PEGPH20 PD-1 II 35 NCT03634332 PFS
Lenvatinib PD-1 II 590 NCT03797326 ORR (initial), ORR (expansion), AEs, Discont due to AE
V941 PD-1 I 100 NCT03948763 DLTs, AEs
CPI-006 + ciforadenant PD-1 I 378 NCT03454451 Incidence of DLTs, TRAEs; MDL
INT230-6 + anti-CTLA-4 antibody PD-1 I/II 110 NCT03058289 TRAEs
BCA101 PD-1 I 292 NCT04429542 DLTs, safety, tolerability
Spartalizumab Siltuximab PD-1 I/II 42 NCT04191421 MTD
Canakinumab injection + nab-paclitaxel + gemcitabine PD-1 I 10 NCT04581343 RP2/3D
Dostarlimab Niraparib PD-1 II 20 NCT04493060 DCR
Sintilimab Gemcitabine + Albumin-paclitaxel PD-1 II 20 NCT05346146 % R0 resection
Surufatinib + AG PD-1 II 32 NCT05481476 ORR
Toripalimab Anlotinib + Nab-paclitaxel PD-1 II 53 NCT04718701 PFS
YH003 + Nab-paclitaxel + Gemcitabine PD-1 II 129 NCT05031494 ORR
Camrelizumab Nab paclitaxel + Gemcitabine Injection PD-1 II 117 NCT04498689 ORR, PFS
Chemotherapy + Ablation PD-1 Not Applicable 34 NCT04420130 6-month PFS rate
Surufatinib + nab-paclitaxel + S-1
gemcitabine		 PD-1 II 68 NCT05218889 DLTs, ORR, RP2D
Paclitaxel (Albumin Bound) + Gemcitabine + Placebo PD-1 III 401 NCT04674956 PFS
Apatinib PD-1 II 48 NCT04415385 ORR
Capecitabine PD-1 I 20 NCT04932187 AEs
Nivolumab Tadalafil + oral vancomycin PD-1 II 22 NCT03785210 BOR
Recombinant Human IL12/15-PDL1B Oncolytic HSV-1 Injection (Vero Cell) PD-1 I/II 51 NCT05162118 DCR (phase 2), MTD, AEs, DLT (phase 1), RP2D (phase 1)
Cyclophosphamide + Ipilimumab + GVAX Pancreas Vaccine + CRS-207 PD-1 II 63 NCT03190265 ORR
Ipilimumab + Stereotactic body radiation therapy + Low dose irradiation PD-1 I 10 NCT05088889 ORR
Nivolumab Anetumab Ravtansine + Gemcitabine Hydrochloride + Ipilimumab PD-1 I/II 74 NCT03816358 MTD
Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) + Toll-Like Receptor 9 PD-1 I 18 NCT04612530 Safety
Irreversible electroporation (IRE) PD-1 II 12 NCT05435053 Safety, tolerability
SX-682 PD-1 I 20 NCT04477343 MTD
Cyclophosphamide + GVAX Pancreas Vaccine + Stereotactic Body Radiation (SBRT) PD-1 II 30 NCT03161379 CD8 count in the TME
Cabiralizumab PD-1 I 313 NCT02526017 ORR, RD, Safety
AK105 Anlotinib PD-1 I/II 29 NCT04803851 DCR
Camrelizumab Paclitaxel (Albumin Bound) + Gemcitabine PD-1 III 401 NCT04674956 PFS
Anti-PD-1 mAb   PD-1 III 830 NCT03983057 PFS
Anti-PD-1 antibody Chemotherapy PD-1 III 110 NCT03977272 OS
Radiation PD-1 II 21 NCT03374293 Local control
SBRT PD-1 I 36 NCT03716596 OS
Radiotherapy + Gemcitabine + cisplatin + Apatinib PD-1   150 NCT04365049 PFS
Durvalumab Gemcitabine PD-L1 II 71 NCT03572400 DFS
Tremelimumab + Gemcitabine + Minimally Invasive Surgical Microwave Ablation PD-L1 II 20 NCT04156087 PFS
Olaparib + Radiation Therapy PD-L1 I 18 NCT05411094 DLTs
Radiotherapy + Tremelimumab PD-L1 I 30 NCT02639026 Number of AEs
Gemcitabine + Nab-paclitaxel + Oleclumab PD-L1 II 30 NCT04940286 Incidence of AEs, RR
Romidepsin + Azacitidine + nab-Paclitaxel + Gemcitabine + Lenalidomide capsule PD-L1 I/II 75 NCT04257448 RDE, safety and tolerability
Capecitabine + Bevacizumab + CV301 PD-L1 I/II 8 NCT03376659 PFS(4 and 8.5 month) RP2D
Oleclumab+gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel + oxaliplatin + leucovorin + 5-FU PD-L1 I/II 212 NCT03611556 Incidence of AEs, clinically significant ECG abnormalities and laboratory values, ORR
Tazemetostat PD-L1 II 173 NCT04705818 Assessment of antitumor activity
Galunisertib PD-L1 I 37 NCT02734160 DLTs
Avelumab Aldoxorubicin HCl + ALT-803 + ETBX-011 + GI-4000 etc. PD-L1 I/II 173 NCT03387098 Incidence of AEs and SAEs, ORR
ALT-803 + ETBX-011 + GI-4000 + haNK etc. PD-L1 I/II 80 NCT03329248 Incidence of AEs and SAEs, ORR
Aldoxorubicin HCl + ALT-803 + ETBX-011 + ETBX-021 etc. PD-L1 I/II 173 NCT03586869 Incidence of AEs and SAEs, ORR
Cyclophosphamide + Oxaliplatin + Capecitabine + 5-Fluorouracil etc. PD-L1 I/II 3 NCT03136406 Incidence of AEs and SAEs, ORR
Atezolizumab Cabozantinib PD-L1 II 29 NCT04820179 ORR or stable disease
KY1044 PD-L1 I/II 412 NCT03829501 Safety, tolerability, DLTs, ORR, survival rate
FT500 + Nivolumab + Pembrolizuma + Cyclophosphamide etc. PD-L1 I 37 NCT03841110 DLTs
RO7198457 + mFOLFIRINOX PD-L1 I 29 NCT04161755 Toxicity
MEDI4736 Tremelimumab PD-L1 II 64 NCT02527434 OR
SHR-1701 (PD-L1/TGF-β bsAb)   PD-L1 I/II 56 NCT04624217 ORR, RP2D
Pembrolizumab Cabozantinib (RKTs Inhibitor) PD-L2 II 21 NCT05052723 PFS
PEGPH20 PD-L2 II 35 NCT03634332 PFS
CD276 CAR-T cells   B7-H3 I/II 10 NCT05143151 ORR
MGD009 (B7-H3/CD3 bsAb)   B7-H3 I 67 NCT02628535 AEs
SGN-B7H4V (B7-H4 ADC)   B7-H4 I 375 NCT05194072 AEs, DLTs, laboratory abnormalities
HS-20089 (B7-H4 ADC)   B7-H4 I 177 NCT05263479 MTD
JNJ-61610588 (B7-H5 mab)   VISTA I 12 NCT02671955 Markers of monocyte activation, T-cell activation, immune infiltration; total blood cell counts; protein expression of VISTA; DLTs; AEs; SAEs
DMFS, distant metastasis-free survival; AEs, adverse events; SAEs, serious AEs; DLTs, dose limiting toxicities; MTD, maximum tolerated dose; ORR, objective response rate; PFS, progression-free survival; pCR rate, pathologic complete response (pCR) rate; TRAE, rate of treatment related adverse events; RP2D, recommended phase 2 dose; MTD, maximal tolerated dose; BOR, best overall response; RD, recommended dose; DCR, disease control rate; OS, overall survival; RR, major pathological response rate; RDE, recommended dose for expansion; TEAEs, treatment-emergent AEs.
Although the combination of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or targeted therapy did not produce the expected results in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) and OS, an overall improvement was observed in some clinical trials [29][30]. In a phase Ib clinical trial, 12 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer were treated with the CD40 agonist APX005M (Sotigalimab, 0.1 mg/kg or 0.3 mg/kg on day 3 or 10), gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 every 4 weeks), and nab-paclitaxel (125 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 every 4 weeks) in combination with the anti-PD-1 mAb nivolumab (240 mg on day 1, 15 cases every 4 weeks). Among them, eight individuals achieved a partial response (PR) and three exhibited stable disease. The cycles of chemotherapy and dose reduction (except for nivolumab) were permitted to control toxicity. The medicine exhibited an excellent safety profile, with a median PFS of 10.8 months (0.1 mg/kg APX005M) and 12.4 months (0.3 mg/kg APX005M), but further clinical trials are necessary to verify its clinical efficacy [31]. A PD-1 inhibitor plus a CD40 agonist produced a better clinical response. Moreover, unlike partial blocking of tumor progression or invasive signals, CD40 agonists are “ignition” signals that promote the initiation of immune responses in PDAC, contributing to anti-tumor immunity dependent on CD8 T cells and activated antigen-presenting cells (APCs) [32]. Combining PD-1/PD-L1 blockade and anti-CTLA-4 therapy is based on the theory that they function at different phases of the immune response. The overall response rates for single- and double-dose immune checkpoint blockade in combination with anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 drugs were 0% and 3%, respectively [28][33]. The comparison between gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel plus the anti-PD-L1 mAb dulvalumab versus the CTLA-4 inhibitor tremelimumab has been made in a randomized, multicenter, phase II trial (NCT02879318) to assess the safety and efficacy of combination chemotherapy/immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for PDAC. In an unselected group of patients with PDAC, adding dulvalumab and tremelimumab to gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel as the first-line therapy failed to improve survival [34]. Other studies have shown that most effects of monotherapy are additive in the context of combination therapy to facilitate the expansion of phenotypically deficient CD8 T cells converted to activated effector CD8 T cells [35], demonstrating the good prospect of PD-L1 in combination with other new checkpoints for cancer treatment. However, PD-L1 with CTLA4 may not be the optimal choice for PDAC, and additional immune checkpoints need to be sought [28][33][34]. Furthermore, the combination of multiple immunotherapies, such as TGF-β inhibitors, oncolytic viruses, tumor vaccines, and adoptive cell therapy, has shown a good safety and tolerability profile, but clinical outcomes must be evaluated further [29][30][36].
Several studies have revealed that PD-L1 expression in tumor membranes of patients with PDAC is not associated with treatment response or PFS, and microsatellite instability-high/defective mismatch repair status is considered a more reliable biomarker than PD-L1 for predicting the efficacy of immunotherapy in PDAC [37][38]. Unfortunately, even so, only a small percentage (1–2%) of PDACs are microsatellite instability-high [39]. More diagnostic markers are needed to predict immunotherapy prognosis, in addition to the development of additional systemic treatment strategies with the PD-L1 inhibitors. Importantly, future immunotherapy for PDAC will benefit more from the discovery of novel immunosuppressive targets and mechanisms in these patients.

This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/ijms232315005

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