Those with low PD-L1 had favourable overall survival rates (HR 1.30, 1.05 to 1.61; P = 0.02; I2 = 85 per cent).<h4>Conclusion</h4>Breast cancers with high PD-L1 expression are associated with aggressive clinicopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics and are more likely to achieve a pathological complete response following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Here, CD274 is linked to breast carcinoma.