Efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in ovarian cancer: a single-arm meta-analysis

Abstract

Several studies have evaluated the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in ovarian cancer; however, the response rate varies. This study aims to explore the efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in ovarian cancer. A quantitative meta-analysis was performed through a systematic search in PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. The pooled ORR was calculated and compared. Fifteen trials were included in this meta-analysis. Our analyses showed that the pooled ORR of all included studies was 19% (95% CI: 13%, 27%). Single PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors had the lowest ORR of 9% (95% CI: 7%, 12%), while the combination of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and chemotherapy had the highest ORR of 36% (95% CI: 24%, 51%). This study showed that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors alone have limited efficacy for ovarian cancer. The combination of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and chemotherapy could be chosen as the recommended modality for further study.

Keywords: Immunotherapy; Ovarian cancer; PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.

Fig. 1

The flow diagram of this meta-analysis

Fig. 2

Summary overall response rate for all included studies

Fig. 3

Summary overall response rate for different treatment combination. Summary overall response rate for single PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors (A), PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy (B), PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with antiangiogenic therapy (C), and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with PARP inhibitors (D)

Fig. 4

Summary overall response rate for platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer

Fig. 5

Summary overall response rate for platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer excluding treatment arms with a single PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor

Fig. 6

Begg’s funnel plot for overall response rate