Prognostic Value of Galectin-9 Relates to Programmed Death-Ligand 1 in Patients With Multiple Myeloma

Abstract

Galectin-9 (Gal-9) expression can be negatively or positively associated with cancer patient prognosis, depending on the cancer type. However, the nature of this relationship remains unclear in multiple myeloma. Therefore, we evaluated the prognostic value of Gal-9 and its relationship with the expression of PD-L1 molecule, the most widely studied immune checkpoint inhibitor, in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Gal-9 and PD-L1 levels in bone marrow aspirate samples were evaluated using immunofluorescence assays. Gal-9 positivity was defined as having ≥1% Gal-9-expressing plasma cells. PD-L1 expression was categorized as low or high based on its median value. The median OS of patients with positive and negative Gal-9 expression was 42 months and not reached, respectively. However, no significant difference was observed in OS between the two groups (P = 0.10). Patients with high PD-L1 expression had OS times of 14 and 43 months in the positive and negative Gal-9 expression groups, respectively. In the high PD-L1 expression group, patients expressing Gal-9 had significantly worse OS than those negative for it (P = 0.019). Multivariable Cox analysis confirmed that Gal-9 expression could independently predict shortened OS (hazard ratio, 1.090; 95% confidence interval, 1.015–1.171; P = 0.018) in patients with high PD-L1 expression. However, in the low PD-L1 expression group, patients with high Gal-9 expression exhibited a trend toward better OS (P = 0.816). Our results indicate that the prognostic value of Gal-9 may be related to PD-L1 expression in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Prognostic Potential of Galectin-9 mRNA Expression in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

“…The impact of Gal-9 on tumor progression remains unclear [3,46]. Several studies so far have focused on Gal-9 in cancer patients [5,9,14], including CLL patients [11,13,20]. Galectin-9 s actual role in CLL has yet to be fully understood.…”

“…Abnormal Gal-9 expression is associated with the development, progression, and metastasis of various cancers. Recently, increasing attention has been given to its prognostic value in cancer [5,9,14]. High Gal-9 expression correlates with increased survival of various solid cancers [12,[15][16][17], for instance colon cancer [16] and hepatocellular carcinoma [12].…”

Expression of Immune Checkpoints in Malignant Tumors: Therapy Targets and Biomarkers for the Gastric Cancer Prognosis

“…In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the prognostic value of Gal-9 expression in various types of tumors [ 95 , 96 , 97 ].…”

Galectin-9 protects humanized-ACE2 immunocompetent mice from SARS-CoV-2 infection

“…Galectin-9 (gal-9), a tandem-repeat-type lectin with two carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) with distinct physiological activity that interacts with b-galactosides (8), is known to be highly immunomodulatory and modulates cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions (8). While gal-9 is shown to have a potential prognostic value in the setting of various cancers and is suggested as a promising target for immunotherapy (9)(10)(11)(12), recent studies reveal its significance in SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated sequalae. Individuals with COVID-19 exhibit higher levels of plasma gal-9 compared to healthy controls (13) and the extent of these levels are associated with disease severity and death (14)(15)(16)(17)(18).…”