Prevalence of PDL1 Amplification and Preliminary Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Solid Tumors

Importance Copy number alterations in programmed cell death ligand 1 ( PDL1 or CD274 ), programmed cell death 1 ligand 2 ( PDCD1LG2 or PDL2 ), and Janus kinase 2 ( JAK2 ) genes (chromosome 9p24.1) characterize Hodgkin lymphoma, resulting in high response rates to programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade. The prevalence and utility of PDL1 amplification as a response biomarker to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade are unknown in other tumors. Objectives To examine the prevalence of PDL1 amplification and its utility as a response biomarker to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in solid tumors. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective study (October 1, 2012, to October 1, 2017) used a deidentified tumor database from a commercial company and annotated clinical records from a subset of patients treated at a university tertiary referral center. The study analyzed 118 187 tumors from the deidentified database, including a clinically annotated subgroup of 2039 malignant tumors. Interventions Comprehensive genomic profiling was performed on all samples to determine PDL1 amplification, microsatellite instability, and tumor mutational burden (TMB). A subset of patients was treated with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. Main Outcomes and Measures The prevalence of PDL1 amplification was determined among 118 187 patient samples that underwent next-generation sequencing. Solid tumors treated with checkpoint blockade were evaluated for response and progression-free survival (PFS). Results Of the 118 187 deidentified tumor samples, PDL1 amplifications were identified in 843 (0.7%), including more than 100 types of solid tumors. Most PDL1 -amplified tumors (84.8%) had a low to intermediate TMB. PDL1 amplification did not always correlate with high-positive PD-L1 expression by immunohistochemical analysis. Six of 9 patients (66.7%) from 1 center with PDL1 -amplified solid tumors had objective responses after checkpoint blockade administration. The median PFS among all treated patients was 15.2 months. Responders included 1 patient with glioblastoma (PFS, ≥5.2 months), 2 patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (PFS, ≥9 and 15.2 months), 2 patients with metastatic basal cell cancer (PFS, 3.8 and ≥24.1 months), and 1 patient with urothelial cancer (PFS, ≥17.8 months). Conclusions and Relevance The results of this study suggest that PDL1 amplification occurs in a small subset of malignant tumors. Additional large-scale, prospective studies of PDL1 -amplified cancers are warranted to confirm the responses to checkpoint blockade described herein, even in the absence of microsatellite instability, high PD-L1 expression, and a high TMB.