Expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog and programmed cell death ligand 1 in adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung
Highlights: • PTEN loss is greater in lung SCC than in lung ADC and each component of ASC. • PD-L1 expression is similar in ASC components and corresponding pure tumor types. • PTEN loss is evident in both components of ASC. • PD-L1 expression is higher in the squamous ASC region than in the glandular one. • PTEN expression correlates with that of PD-L1 in lung SCC and glandular ASC. Lung adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) is a rare variant of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with poor prognosis. Certain biological differences may exist between these tumors and other common histological types of NSCLC, including adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, which links oncogenes and multiple receptor classes to essential cellular functions, is activated by phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) loss. The PTEN loss has been suggested to induce programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in various cancer types.