Bronchial Arterial Chemoembolization Combined with Tislelizumab for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Exploratory,...

To assess the effectiveness and safety of bronchial arterial chemoembolization (BACE) combined with tislelizumab for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

In a prospective single-arm, Phase II study, patients with Stage IIIA-IIIC NSCLC who refused or were ineligible for standard treatments were enrolled. Patients received BACE followed by 200-mg tislelizumab every 3 weeks until disease progression, intolerable toxicities, or discontinuation determined by the investigators. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), safety, and quality of life (QoL).

Thirty patients (median age, 67 years, 24 men) were enrolled between December 2021 and August 2022. The median follow-up was 23 months (95% CI, 21.5-24.5). At data cutoff (March 1, 2024), median PFS was 10.5 months (95% CI, 7.8-13.2), and median OS was 15.0 months (95% CI, 8.2-21.8). ORR was 60.0% (18 of 30 patients), and DCR was 80.0% (24 of 30 patients). PD-L1 expression, tumor feeding arteries, and previous treatment history were prognostic factors for PFS and OS. Throughout the treatment and follow-up period, no Grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were observed, as assessed by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.0. Common Grade 1-2 TRAEs were nausea, chest pain, and anemia. QoL (global, physical, and emotional functioning) improved significantly after 1 treatment cycle versus baseline.

The prospective study suggests that BACE plus tislelizumab offer promising effectiveness and acceptable safety in advanced NSCLC, supporting further randomized trials.