Nickan Research Institute Immunopathologia Persa 2423-8015 12 2 2026 07 01 Expression of programmed death-ligand 1 and epidermal growth factor receptor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; an immunohistochemical and clinicopathological study e43772 e43772 10.34172/ipp.2025.43772 EN Ismail Mohamed Ismail https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4454-6248 Hussein Abdel-moneim Hassan https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8812-7208 Sarah AlFarabi Ali https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0117-6596 Madawi Alkeheli https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0315-1560 Sahar Bukhary https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2782-8348 Ahoud Jazzar https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0226-3512 Nada A. Alhindi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2388-7586 Hanan Ali Amin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6573-8570 Bahaa Mohammed Badr https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9073-0451 Jana Fathelbab https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0954-7707 Ghada Sabbah Ibrahim Radwan https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5033-8546 Nadia Attia Radi https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8925-7872 Journal Article 10.34172/ipp.2025.43772 2024 10 17 2025 05 03 Introduction: The predominant head and neck cancers arise from the mucosal epithelium located in the oral cavity, throat, and larynx. These malignancies are typically termed head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Objectives: This study aims to examine the immune-expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in HNSCC. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we conducted the link between PD-L1and EGFR proteins with the clinicopathological features of the cancer. Our study included 50 patients that have been histologically diagnosed with HNSCC, and patients who were diagnosed with other types of malignancies, especially in the new cases of human papillomavirus and triple-negative breast cancer Results: This study analyzed a total of 50 instances of HNSCC, which are classified based on their T, N, and TNM stages. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that 68% of patients exhibited immunopositivity, primarily in the tumor cell membrane and cytoplasm. There was no notable link between the expression of PD-L1 and factors such as gender, age, or tumor site. Additionally, a positive expression of PD-L1 was identified in 87.5% of patients (P = 0.203), across with no significant correlation of PD-L1 expression and tumor differentiation. Conclusion: This study revealed that more than two-thirds of cases with HNSCC exhibit PD-L1 expression. However, patient characteristics such as age, gender, and tumor site were not shown to have any influence on EGFR expression.