Significance of Platinum-Based Chemotherapy With Programmed Death-1 Blockade in Limited Disease Small Cell Lung...

The efficacy and safety of platinum-based chemotherapy with programmed death-1 (PD-1) blockade after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for the treatment of limited disease (LD) small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is unknown. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and tolerability of platinum-based chemotherapy with PD-1 blockade in patients with recurrent LD-SCLC after CRT.

This retrospective study analyzed 66 patients who experienced recurrence after CRT for LD-SCLC and received platinum-based chemotherapy with PD-1 blockade therapy between August 2019 and September 2020 at 19 Japanese institutions. Clinical efficacy was assessed according to response rate, survival, and toxicity.

The overall response rate was 53.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48.9-65.0), and the disease control rate was 78.7% (95% CI, 68.9-88.5). The median progression-free survival and overall survival periods were 5.9 (95% CI, 4.7-7.3) months and 24.9 (95% CI, 16.8-28.1) months, respectively. The frequencies of grade ≥ 3 hematological adverse events were as follows: leukopenia, 47.0%; neutropenia, 65.2%; and febrile neutropenia, 8.3%. There was no treatment-related death.

Chemoimmunotherapy is a feasible and effective treatment for recurrent disease after CRT in patients with LD-SCLC, providing a new potential option for the pharmacological management of these patients.