Clinicopathological and Prognostic Characteristics of CD276 (B7-H3) Expression in Adrenocortical Carcinoma.

Background. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignant endocrine tumor with a high tumor recurrence rate and poor postoperative survival. Recent studies suggest that CD276- (B7-H3) targeted therapy represents a promising therapeutic option for solid tumors. However, little is known about the expression status of CD276 or its association with progression and prognosis of ACC. Methods. Clinical data were retrospectively analyzed from patients who underwent resection of ACC at our institution (n=48). Archived, formalin-fixed, and paraffin-embedded samples were collected for immunohistochemical analysis, and the correlation between CD276 expression and clinicopathological parameters was evaluated. Kaplan-Meier and univariate/multivariate Cox regression methods were implemented to identify any prognostic effects. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) ACC cohort (n=77) were retrieved for quantitative validation analysis. Results. Positive expression of CD276 was detected on the cell membrane and in the cytoplasm of cancer cells or tumor-associated vascular cells in 91.67% (44/48) of ACCs. Vascular expression of CD276 was associated with local aggression (higher T stage, P=0.029) and advanced ENSAT stage (P=0.02). Specifically, patients with a higher CD276-positive cancer cell density exhibited significantly worse overall survival and recurrence-free survival in our cohort (HR=2.8, P=0.01, and HR=7.52, P<0.001, respectively) and in the validation cohort (HR=2.4, P=0.033, and HR=3.7, P<0.001, respectively). The prognostic association remained significant in multivariate Cox regression analysis. Further analysis indicated that CD276 participates in regulating the immune response as well as in the malignant biological behaviors of ACC. Conclusion. These findings highlight the immune checkpoint factor CD276 as an independent prognostic factor and a potential therapeutic target in ACC.