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. 2020 Aug;69(8):1605-1613.
doi: 10.1007/s00262-020-02565-0. Epub 2020 Apr 19.

Outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibitors for relapsed small-cell lung cancer in a Swiss cohort

Sabine Schmid  1   2 , Laetitia A Mauti  3 , Alex Friedlaender  4 , Veronika Blum  5 , Sacha I Rothschild  6 , Hasna Bouchaab  7 , Patrizia Frösch  8 , Christian Britschgi  9 , David König  10 , Luciano Wannesson  8 , Wolf-Dieter Janthur  11 , Sämi Schär  12 , Izadora Demmer  13 , Alfredo Addeo  4 , Wolfram Jochum  13 , Martin Früh  3   14
Affiliations

Outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibitors for relapsed small-cell lung cancer in a Swiss cohort

Sabine Schmid et al. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: Early clinical trials showed promising outcomes with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in a subset of patients with relapsed small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). The aim of this retrospective analysis was to assess the efficacy and safety of ICI for relapsed SCLC in a real-world patient population.

Methods: Nine cancer centres in Switzerland contributed data to this cohort. Responses were assessed by the local investigators using standard RECIST v1.1 criteria. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analysed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Associations between potential predictive markers and survival endpoints were probed by Cox proportional hazards.

Results: Forty-five patients were included in the analysis. Median age was 63 years, 73% were males and 18% had an ECOG performance status (PS) ≥ 2. ICIs were given as second-line treatment in 60%. Twenty-four patients (53%) received ipilimumab with nivolumab. Twenty-eight patients (62%) had undergone irradiation (RT) prior to or during ICI. Overall response rate (ORR) was 29% and median PFS and OS were 2.3 and 6.5 months, respectively. Median duration of response was 9 months (95% CI 2.8-NA). Five patients maintained their response for > 6 months, all of them receiving combination treatment. There were no new safety signals.

Conclusion: This is the first report of "real-world" data on ICI in relapsed SCLC also including patients with poor PS. Promising durable responses were observed. No biological prognostic marker could be identified.

Keywords: Biomarker; Checkpoint inhibitor treatment; Outcome; Real-life cohort; SCLC.

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Conflict of interest statement

SS as the corresponding author and MF declare having received institutional funding from BMS for extended molecular analysis of this study. SS: grants (institutional): BMS, Astra Zeneca; honoraries for advisory boards (to the institution): Boehringer-Ingelheim, MSD; travel supplemort: MSD, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Takeda. LM: personal fees: Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Roche, Takeda, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Pfizer; non-financial support: Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Roche, Takeda, Merck Darmstadt. AF: personal fees: Roche, Pfizer, Astellas, BMS. SR: Grants: AstraZeneca, BMS, Merck Serono; honoraries for advisory boards (to the institution): AstraZeneca, BMS, Merck Serono, MSD, Roche, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Eisai, Takeda, Bayer, Pfizer; serves as scientific advisor of the Federal Drug Commission of the Federal Office of Public Health. CB: consulting or advisory role: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, Janssen-Cilag, Boehringer-Ingelheim; travel, accommodations/expenses: AstraZeneca, Takeda. AA: personal fees: BMS, Astra Zeneca, MSD, Takeda, Pfizer, Roche, Boehringer-Ingelheim; grants: Boehringer-Ingelheim. MF: grants BMS, Astra Zeneca (all institutional); honoraries for advisory boards (to the institution): BMS, MSD, Astra Zeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Roche, Takeda.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Progression-free survival (PFS) from the start of ICI
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Overall survival (OS) from the start of ICI
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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