Immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer - towards daily practice

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology

Background:

• Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed solid tumor treatment, particularly for lung cancer.
• PD-1 and PD-L1 blockers demonstrate improved overall survival in advanced, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the efficacy and safety of ICIs in lung cancer treatment.
• To discuss factors influencing treatment response and patient selection.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical trial data and real-world observations of ICI therapy in lung cancer.
• Analysis of factors affecting treatment outcomes, including patient characteristics and tumor biomarkers.

Main Results:

• ICIs, including nivolumab, pembrolizumab, and atezolizumab, offer significant survival benefits.
• Real-world results mirror clinical trial findings, with notable long-term survival achieved.
• Treatment effectiveness is influenced by patient performance status, but age, sex, and brain metastases did not significantly alter outcomes.
• Immune-related adverse events are manageable, with pneumonitis being a serious but treatable complication.

Conclusions:

• ICIs are a safe and effective immunotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
• PD-L1 expression serves as a predictive biomarker, identifying "hot" tumors likely to respond better to ICIs than "cold" tumors.