Study quantifies survival benefit of immunotherapy in metastatic NSCLC
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Key takeaways:
- Introduction of immunotherapy has improved survival for people with advanced NSCLC.
- A higher percentage of patients treated in the immunotherapy era survived 1 year, 3 years and 5 years.
The introduction of immunotherapy to treatment paradigms has improved survival for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, according to study results.
Researchers noted improvements in 1-year, 3-year and 5-year OS rates for patients treated during the immunotherapy era compared with those treated prior to immunotherapy availability in the United States.
The FDA approved nivolumab (Opdivo, Bristol Myers Squibb) — an anti-PD-1 inhibitor — for treatment of advanced NSCLC in 2015, making it the first immunotherapy indicated in this setting.
Population-based studies examining the impact immunotherapy has had on survival among people with lung cancer are limited.
Yating Wang, MD, an oncologist affiliated with Ascension Providence Hospital in Michigan, and colleagues used the SEER database to assess OS and cancer-specific survival among patients with NSCLC treated before and after nivolumab’s approval.
Researchers used 17 databases from 2000 to 2020 to establish two cohorts.
One cohort included 90,807 patients treated from 2010 to 2014. The other included 100,995 patients treated from 2015 to 2020.
Results showed a 1-month improvement in median OS in the immunotherapy era vs. the pre-immunotherapy era (8 months vs. 7 months; P < .001).
However, a higher percentage of patients treated in the immunotherapy era remained alive at 1 year (40.1% vs. 33.5%), 3 years (17.8% vs. 11.7%) and 5 years (10.7% vs. 6.8%).
Findings also showed higher rates of cancer-specific survival (1 year, 44% vs. 36.8%; 3 years, 21.7% vs. 14.4%); 5 years, 14.3% vs. 9%) and longer median cancer-specific survival (10 months vs. 8 months; P < .001) in the immunotherapy era.
Multivariate analysis adjusted for age, sex, race, income and geographical area confirmed improved survival rates in the immunotherapy era (adjusted HR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.82-0.84).
“Immunotherapy provides long-term benefits,” Wang said in a press release. “[Because] the durable benefits of immunotherapy are limited to a small subset of patients, future research should aim to optimize immunotherapy with new agents that can benefit a broader population.”
References:
- Deaths from advanced lung cancer have dropped significantly since immunotherapy became standard-of-care (press release). Available at: https://newsroom.wiley.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2024/Deaths-from-advanced-lung-cancer-have-dropped-significantly-since-immunotherapy-became-standard-of-care/default.aspx. Published Aug. 5, 2024. Accessed Aug. 28, 2024.
- Ward Y, et al. Cancer. 2024;doi:10.1002/cncr.35476.
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Ward Y, et al. Cancer. 2024;doi:10.1002/cncr.35476.
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