The role of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTC) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy (CHT).

The clinical application of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has led to dramatic changes in the treatment strategy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite the observation of improved overall survival in NSCLC patients treated with ICIs, their efficacy varies greatly among different immune and molecular profiles in tumors. Particularly, the clinical significance of ICIs for oncogene-driven NSCLC has been controversial. In this review, we provide recent clinical and preclinical data focused on the relationship between oncogenic drivers and immunological characteristics and discuss the future direction of immunotherapy in NSCLC patients harboring such genetic alterations

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Efficacy and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus nab-paclitaxel for patients with non-small cell lung cancer who have progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy

Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology ◽

10.1177/1758835920936882 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 175883592093688

Author(s):

Fan Zhang ◽

Di Huang ◽

Lei Zhao ◽

Tao Li ◽

Sujie Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Small Cell Lung Cancer ◽

Cell Lung Cancer ◽

Small Cell ◽

Monotherapy Group ◽

Small Cell Lung ◽

Metastatic Nsclc ◽

Platinum Based Chemotherapy ◽

Paclitaxel Group ◽

Nsclc Patients

Background: Immunotherapy combined with platinum-based chemotherapy is now the standard first-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, limited evidence exists to show the efficacy of immunotherapy plus taxanes for patients who have progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods: The immunotherapy naïve patients with metastatic NSCLC who received anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy or combined with nab-paclitaxel after prior platinum-based chemotherapy from 2015 to 2018 in PLA General Hospital were identified. The progression-free survival, overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and safety were assessed. Results: Of 57 patients, 40 were treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy and 17 were treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 plus nab-paclitaxel. With a median OS follow-up of 16.3 months, the nab-paclitaxel group showed significantly longer OS compared with the immune monotherapy group (median, 28.6 months versus 15.9 months, log-rank p = 0.020). When adjusted by covariates in COX proportional regression model, both the treatment group [ p = 0.009, hazard ratio (HR) 0.361; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.168–0.773] and performance status ( p = 0.003, HR 0.372; 95% CI 0.192–0.721) demonstrated independent association with the longer OS from combination therapy. In addition, ORR was 23.5% (4/17) in the immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICIs) plus nab-paclitaxel group versus 13.5% (5/37) in immune monotherapy group ( p = 0.439), with a DCR of 88.2% (15/17) and 59.5% (22/37) ( p = 0.034), respectively. The incidence of grade 3/4 adverse events was 23.5% (4/17) in the combination group and 2.5% (1/40) in the immune monotherapy group. Conclusion: PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor plus nab-paclitaxel resulted in significantly longer OS and higher response versus ICI single agent in metastatic NSCLC patients who have progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy. These findings need to be further explored by prospective studies.

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