Patterns of failure and the subsequent treatment after progression on first-line immunotherapy monotherapy in...

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become the recommended first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without driver gene mutations. However, data on the failure patterns of first-line ICIs monotherapy is limited, and the optimal strategy for subsequent treatment remains controversial.

Advanced NSCLC patients receiving first-line ICIs monotherapy at Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute between December 2017 and October 2021 were identified. The progressive sites were recorded to analyze failure patterns. Post-progression survival (PPS) was compared between different treatment regimens.

A total of 121 patients receiving first-line ICIs monotherapy were identified, with a median progression-free survival of 8.6 months. Sixty-five patients had available imaging at diagnosis as well as progressive disease, with 56.9% showing oligoprogression. For those with progression in existing lesions, the most common sites were the liver (77.8%) and lung parenchyma (62.5%), while progression with new lesions frequently occurred in the liver (32.0%). Fifty patients with recorded subsequent treatment were included in the analysis of subsequent treatment patterns. Patients treated with anti-angiogenesis therapy could get better PPS (HR: 0.275, P = 0.013). Isolated oligoprogression occurred most often in the lung parenchyma and intracranial lesions. More than half of these patients continued immunotherapy after local treatment, with a 2.5-year PPS rate of 51.4%.

The liver was the most common site of progression on first-line ICIs monotherapy. Anti-angiogenesis-based therapy might be an optimal regimen at the time of progression. Patients with isolated oligoprogressive could still benefit from immunotherapy after local treatment.