Table 2.
Programmed cell death protein 1 and programmed cell death ligand 1 expression in controls, EBV(−) patients with CLL, and EBV(+) patients with CLL
| Controls | Patients with CLL and no detectable EBV DNA | Patients with CLL and detectable EBV DNA | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 20 | 51 | 59 | |
| CD4+PD1+ cells, % median [IQR] | 6.47 [5.72, 8.64] | 13.51 [9.86, 15.12] | 24.77 [15.32, 36.95] | <0.001a |
| CD8+PD1+ cells, % median [IQR] | 5.56 [4.37, 7.16] | 8.98 [5.93, 12.89] | 19.70 [13.82, 27.12] | <0.001a |
| CD19+PD1+ cells, % median [IQR] | 3.80 [2.33, 4.66] | 8.84 [6.22, 12.77] | 17.12 [13.15, 22.84] | <0.001a |
| Soluble PD1, pg/mL median [IQR] | 51.70 [33.53, 112.02] | 125.34 [83.66, 234.06] | 365.83 [171.40, 2462.24] | <0.001a |
| CD4+PDL1+ cells, % median [IQR] | 4.91 [3.42, 6.46] | 8.18 [6.06, 12.62] | 21.20 [14.44, 32.55] | <0.001a |
| CD8+PDL1+ cells, % median [IQR] | 4.16 [3.59, 5.29] | 7.70 [3.73, 10.84] | 20.34 [12.99, 24.86] | <0.001b |
| CD19+PDL1+ cells. % median [IQR] | 3.67 [2.28, 5.23] | 6.24 [2.22, 10.70] | 10.78 [5.75, 14.07] | <0.001a |
| Soluble PDL1, pg/mL median [IQR] |
72.22 [58.80, 83.22] | 138.56 [90.80, 178.17] | 252.50 [162.70, 771.31] | <0.001a |
Notes: P-values are for comparisons with the Kruskal-Wallis test. When P<0.05, post-hoc comparisons were done with the Dunn test (p-values adjusted with the Benjamini-Hochberg method). ap<0.05 on post hoc comparisons: EBV(+) patients with CLL vs EBV(−) patients with CLL vs controls. bp<0.05 EBV(+) patients with CLL vs EBV(+) patients with CLL and controls.
Abbreviations: CLL, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; EBV, Epstein-Barr virus; IQR, interquartile range; PD1, programmed cell death protein 1; PDL1, programmed cell death ligand 1.