In thyroid cancer, it has been suggested that PD-L1 overexpression is associated with some clinicopathological factors and prognosis. The aim of this study is to characterize the expression of PD-L1, the presence of the BRAF^V600E mutation, as well as cellular and humoral immunity in thyroid cancer, and to investigate the factors that predict the effectiveness of anti-PD-L1 antibody therapy. Blood samples were collected from 33 patients who were newly diagnosed with thyroid cancer after surgery or biopsy. PD-L1 expression, BRAF^V600E mutation, and CD8+ expression were examined by immunohistological staining using clinical thyroid cancer specimens. With a PD-L1 staining cut-off value of 1%, 13 (39.4%) patients were classified as PD-L1 positive. Stimulation Index (SI) is an indicator of T cell activation. PD-L1 expression was significantly correlated with low SI level (p = 0.046). Moreover, BRAF^V600E mutation was detected in 24 of the 33 (72.7%) patients, and was significantly associated with PD-L1 expression (p = 0.047). In addition, enhanced CD8+ expression was significantly associated with PD-L1 expression (p = 0.003). Multivariate analyses confirmed that high CRP levels (p = 0.039) were independently and significantly associated with poor progression-free survival. These findings suggest that elevated PD-L1 status can be a prognostic indicator for survival in patients with thyroid cancer when comprehensively assessed using the expression of CD8+, the presence of BRAF^V600E mutation and the patient’s immune status.

This study investigated factors influencing Japanese women's participation in breast and cervical cancer screenings, with a focus on health behaviors, behavioral economics characteristics, socioeconomic status, and physical and mental health. Using secondary data from the Japan Household Panel Survey (Wave 2021, collected February 2021), we analyzed responses from 410 women aged ≤70 years. Key variables included risk aversion, time preference, exercise frequency, smoking status, alcohol consumption, nutritional intake, subjective and mental health, body mass index, and sociodemographic factors such as education, employment, and municipality type. The participants' mean age was 52.92 years (standard deviation = 9.17 years). Of the women, 15.9 % underwent cervical cancer screening and 16.8 % underwent breast cancer screening. A logistic regression analysis revealed that, for both breast and cervical cancer screenings, high psychological distress, risk aversion, and smoking were associated with lower participation, whereas regular exercise, permanent employment, and residence in towns and villages were associated with higher participation. Smoking was significantly associated with breast cancer screening participation, and utilization of medical services was significantly associated with cervical cancer screening participation. Interventions incorporating behavioral economics approaches, such as addressing risk perception and promoting health behaviors, may enhance Japanese women's cancer screening participation.