Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 9, 2026

Using 22C3 Anti-PD-L1 Antibody Concentrate on Biopsy and Cytology Samples from Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients
Published on: September 25, 2018
First-line PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy vs. chemotherapy alone in stage IIIB-IV non-squamous NSCLC: an
Yunwei Rao1, Huan Rao2, Yunkun Rao3
1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, No. 23 Qingnian Road, Zhanggong District, Ganzhou, 341000, China.
Background:
PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy (PIC) has significantly reshaped treatment approaches in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, whether PIC provides superior long-term efficacy compared to standard chemotherapy in advanced non-squamous NSCLC (nsqNSCLC) still requires comprehensive analysis using recent data from phase 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Methods:
Relevant studies comparing PIC with chemotherapy in stage IIIB-IV nsqNSCLC were identified through six databases. The key measures of interest were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), while additional endpoints encompassed tumor response and safety.
Results:
Twelve multicenter phase 3 RCTs including 5,054 participants were analyzed. In comparison to chemotherapy alone, the PIC therapy resulted in significant improvements in both OS (HR: 0.73 [0.68-0.79], P < 0.00001) and PFS (HR: 0.59 [0.55-0.63], P < 0.00001). Survival benefits in both endpoints were consistently greater in the combination arm over a 6-60 month observation period. Stratified analysis revealed that the presence of brain metastases (OS, HR: 0.47; PFS, HR: 0.44) and a PD-L1 expression above 50% (OS, HR: 0.64; PFS, HR: 0.62) were predictive of enhanced efficacy for the combination strategy. Regarding treatment response, patients receiving PIC experienced a prolonged duration of response (HR: 0.57 [0.50-0.65], P < 0.00001) and a markedly increased objective response rate (RR: 1.69 [1.55-1.84], P < 0.00001). Nevertheless, both overall (RR: 1.95 [1.32, 2.87], P = 0.0007) and grade 3-5 immune-mediated adverse events (irAEs) (RR: 2.28 [1.64, 3.18], P < 0.00001) occurred more frequently in the PIC group.
Conclusions:
PIC therapy provides significant survival benefits and enhances anti-tumor efficacy in stage IIIB-IV nsqNSCLC, although it carries a higher toxicity burden, including both acute hematologic AEs and potentially chronic irAEs that require continuous clinical monitoring.
Prospero Registration Id:
CRD420251066166.
More Related Videos
10:29Semi-automatic PD-L1 Characterization and Enumeration of Circulating Tumor Cells from Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients by Immunofluorescence
Published on: August 14, 2019
06:07Monitoring PD-1-Blocking Antibodies Bound to T Cells Derived from a Drop of Peripheral Blood
Published on: February 5, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists