Immune checkpoint inhibitors versus second line chemotherapy for patients with lung cancer refractory to first line chemotherapy

Abstract Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become important tools for the treatment of advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC). However, the clinical strategy using ICIs and chemotherapy is still controversy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of clinical parameters in aUC patients with ICIs treatment.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed aUC patients who received atezolizumab and pembrolizumab between January 2015 and October 2020. The associations between baseline demographics and clinical outcomes were evaluated.Results: Of the 74 included patients, the median age was 67 years. Among them, 53 patients received atezolizumab and the other 21 received pembrolizumab. There were 50 patients receiving first line ICIs therapy and the other 24 received second line monotherapy. Fifty-two (83.87%, 52/62) received cisplatin among all chemotherapy patients. The median progression free survival was 10.94 months and the overall survival was 28.44 months. Poor chemotherapy response or no chemotherapy, liver metastases, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status and higher neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were associated with higher risk of diseases progression (HR=5.70, 95% CI 2.04-15.90, p=0.001, HR=6.08, 95% CI 1.79-20.57, p=0.004; HR=5.40, 95% CI 1.76-16.57, p=0.003; HR=6.08, 95% CI 2.56-14.44, p<0.001 and HR= 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03, P=0.002 respectively). Liver metastases and WBC before ICI were associated with increased death risk (HR=11.95, 95%CI 3.22-44.34, p<0.001; HR=1.0001, 95% CI 1.00001-1.00002, p=0.036 respectively) while ICI response was associated with decreased death (HR=0.22, 95%CI 0.08-0.62, p=0.004). Chemotherapy responders were associated with better ICI treatment response (OR=6.52, 95%CI 1.45-29.24, p=0.014) while lymph node metastases and poor ECOG was associated with poor ICI response (OR=0.31, 95%CI 0.10-0.94, p=0.038; OR=0.32, 95%CI 0.11-0.95, p=0.040).Conclusions: Our data showed predictive role of first-line chemotherapy response to ICIs treatment efficacy in aUC patients as well as other prognostic factors, such as ECOG status, serum white blood cell count or NLR and liver metastases.

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Treatments of Advanced Non‑Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) in an Italian Center: Drug Utilization and the Treatment Costs of Innovative Drugs

Farmeconomia Health economics and therapeutic pathways ◽

10.7175/fe.v20i1.1376 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Francovito Piantedosi ◽

Raffaela Cerisoli ◽

Ciro Battiloro ◽

Francesca Andreozzi ◽

Fabiana Vitiello ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Multivariate Analyses ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Target Therapy ◽

Small Cell ◽

Line Treatment ◽

Second Line ◽

Small Cell Lung ◽

First Line

AIM: To provide an updated picture of the therapies most commonly used in the advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) setting, together with the relevant costs.METHODS: This study considered the clinical records of patients affected by stage IIIb and IV NSCLC treated in the AORN dei Colli - Plesso Monaldi in Naples during the period January 2016-July 2017 and diagnosed since 2014, as well as the pathology lab database. Multivariate analyses were performed in order to identify the main predictors of time to next treatment and the main cost drivers.RESULTS: Data were collected on 575 patients, who were mainly affected by adenocarcinoma (62%) and squamous cell carcinoma (34%). 64% of patients were reported having been tested for molecular biomarkers (among the patients tested, 13% were EGFR+, 4% Alk t, and 1% ROS1 t). In accordance with the international guidelines, chemotherapy – as single agent or platinum-based doublets – was the prevalent first-line treatment, except among EGFR+ and ROS1 t patients, for whom the target therapy was authorized as first-line therapy. As second-line treatment, the target therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (nivolumab) were the most commonly used treatments. Drug expenditure per patient was remarkably higher in mutated patients (€ 29,053) versus wild-type patients, or patients with unknown mutational status (€ 11,854), who received just chemotherapy. The costs sustained in 2017 are proportionally higher than those sustained in 2016, mainlydue to the increasing eligibility to target therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors and the wider biomarker analysis performed. From multivariate analyses, among the predictors of a longer time to next treatment (TTNT) were a better performance status and target therapy both in first and second line. The therapy for squamous cell carcinoma and other nonadeno histotypes turned out to be less expensive in patients treated just in the first line than that for adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma. The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the second line results in increased costs compared to the use of chemotherapy. Also the target therapy in the first line results in an increase in the total costs with respect to chemotherapy in patients who received just a first-line therapy.CONCLUSIONS: Generally, in this study population, the treatments administered are in accordance with the international guidelines. The costs borne by the Health Systems are higher for the target therapy and the immune checkpoint inhibitors.

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Immune checkpoint inhibitors as first-line and salvage therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

Future Oncology ◽

10.2217/fon-2016-0086 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (15) ◽

pp. 1805-1822 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Marios P Decatris ◽

Kenneth J O'Byrne

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Small Cell Lung Cancer ◽

Cell Lung Cancer ◽

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Salvage Therapy ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Small Cell ◽

Small Cell Lung ◽

First Line

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Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for the Treatment of Bladder Cancer

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13010131 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 131

Author(s):

Antonio Lopez-Beltran ◽

Alessia Cimadamore ◽

Ana Blanca ◽

Francesco Massari ◽

Nuno Vau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Objective Response ◽

Line Treatment ◽

Second Line ◽

First Line ◽

Durable Response ◽

First Line Therapy ◽

Line Therapy

A number of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been approved as first-line therapy in case of cisplatin-ineligible patients or as second-line therapy for patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) of the bladder. About 30% of patients with mUC will respond to ICIs immunotherapy. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression detected by immunohistochemistry seems to predict response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with mUC as supported by the objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS) associated with the response observed in most clinical trials. Pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, demonstrated better OS respective to chemotherapy in a randomized phase 3 study for second-line treatment of mUC. Nivolumab, a PD-1 antibody, also demonstrated an OS benefit when compared to controls. Atezolizumab, Durvalumab, and Avelumab antibodies targeting PD-L1 have also received approval as second-line treatments for mUC with durable response for more than 1 year in selected patients. Atezolizumab and Pembrolizumab also received approval for first-line treatment of patients that are ineligible for cisplatin. A focus on the utility of ICIs in the adjuvant or neoadjuvant setting, or as combination with chemotherapy, is the basis of some ongoing trials. The identification of a clinically useful biomarker, single or in association, to determine the optimal ICIs treatment for patients with mUC is very much needed as emphasized by the current literature. In this review, we examined relevant clinical trial results with ICIs in patients with mUC alone or as part of drug combinations; emphasis is also placed on the adjuvant and neoadjuvant setting. The current landscape of selected biomarkers of response to ICIs including anti-PD-L1 immunohistochemistry is also briefly reviewed.

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