Effects of programmed death 1 and its ligand in primary hepatic carcinoma

Cancer cells can secrete programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) to bind with inhibitory regulatory protein of programmed death 1 (PD-1) which lies on T-cell lymphocyte. Consequently, the activity of the T cells reduces, and the apoptosis cells increase. It′s one of the pathways of newly discovered tumor immune escape. Primary hepatic cancer is one of the  common  malignant tumors of digestive system and closely related to viral hepatitis B in China. PD-1/PD-L1 pathway plays an important role in tumorigenesis and development of primary liver cancer. In this paper, the research updates of PD-1/PDL1 in primary hepatic carcinoma were summarized.