An update of knowledge on PD-L1 in head and neck cancers: Physiologic, prognostic and therapeutic perspectives Lenouvel, Daniel González Moles, Miguel Ángel Talbaoui, Asmae Ramos García, Pablo González-Ruiz, Lucía Ruiz Ávila, María Isabel Gil Montoya, José Antonio PD-L1 oral cancer prognostic programmed death-ligand 1 Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a transmembrane protein that acts as a co-inhibitory factor in the immune response. Its receptor, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), is found on immune cells, where binding to PD-L1 can reduce the proliferation of PD-1-positive cells, inhibit their cytokine secretion and induce apoptosis. PD-L1 in immune-privileged tissue plays a crucial role in peripheral tolerance. PD-L1 can be overexpressed in various malignancies, including oral squamous cell carcinoma, where it can attenuate the host immune response to tumour cells and has been associated with a worse prognosis. Monoclonal antibody therapies targeting the PD-1:PD-L1 axis have shown initial promise, but further research is needed to identify which patients will benefit. We provide an update of knowledge on PD-L1, including its structure, function and regulation. We also review studies on the overexpression of PD-L1 in cancer, specifically oral squamous cell carcinoma, and explore its potential value as a therapeutic target. 2025-12-05T12:16:59Z 2025-12-05T12:16:59Z 2019-03-13 journal article Lenouvel D, González-Moles MÁ, Talbaoui A, Ramos-García P, González-Ruiz L, Ruiz-Ávila I, Gil-Montoya JA. An update of knowledge on PD-L1 in head and neck cancers: Physiologic, prognostic and therapeutic perspectives. Oral Dis. 2020 Apr;26(3):511-526. https://doi.org/10.1111/odi.13088 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/108626 10.1111/odi.13088 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ open access Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional Wiley