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Review
. 2024 Apr:125:102701.
doi: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2024.102701. Epub 2024 Feb 27.

Incorporation of anti-PD1 or anti PD-L1 agents to platinum-based chemotherapy for the primary treatment of advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. A meta-analysis

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Free article
Review

Incorporation of anti-PD1 or anti PD-L1 agents to platinum-based chemotherapy for the primary treatment of advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. A meta-analysis

Michele Bartoletti et al. Cancer Treat Rev. 2024 Apr.
Free article

Abstract

Importance: Various randomized trials have explored the efficacy of combining immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with first-line chemotherapy in advanced endometrial cancer. We aimed to summarize available data and clarify the benefit of adding immunotherapy according to the DNA mismatch repair status (deficient, dMMR or proficient, pMMR) and the specific type of agent used (anti-PD1 or anti-PD-L1).

Objective: To assess whether the addition of ICIs to standard platinum-based chemotherapy enhances progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with advanced endometrial cancer both overall and based on DNA mismatch repair status.

Data sources: Electronic databases (PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library) and conference proceedings were searched for first line, randomized and controlled trials integrating ICIs with chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced endometrial cancer published or presented by November 1, 2023.

Study selection: Five studies, comprising 2456 patients (1308 received ICIs with chemotherapy and 1148 treated with chemotherapy alone) met the selection criteria and were included in the analysis. Experimental arms included pembrolizumab, dostarlimab (anti-PD1) and durvalumab, atezolizumab and avelumab (anti-PD-L1) combined with standard three-weekly carboplatin-paclitaxel chemotherapy backbone. Endometrial carcinosarcoma were included in 3 out of 5 trials.

Data extraction and synthesis: For comparison of PFS outcomes, extrapolation of hazard ratios (HRs), 95% confidence intervals (CI) and PFS events was performed for each included study in the overall population and according to subgroups. Data analysis was conducted using a random-effects model.

Results: The addition of ICIs to chemotherapy improved PFS compared to chemotherapy alone in the overall population (pooled HR, 0.63; 95 % CI, 0.52--0.76; P <.001). In the dMMR subgroup the benefit was more pronounced (pooled HR, 0.34; 95 % CI, 0.27--0.44; P <.001) and not affected by drugs used with pooled HRs of 0.39 (95 % CI, 0.28--0.55; P <.001) and 0.34 (95 % CI, 0.27--0.44; P <.001) for PD-L1 and PD1 inhibitors, respectively. For pMMR patients, a statistically significant benefit in terms of PFS was confirmed only when anti-PD1 were used (anti-PD-1: HR 0.64, 95 % CI: 0.46-0.90, P =.010 vs anti-PD-L1: HR 0.87, 95 % CI: 0.73-1.03, P =.104) CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This meta-analysis confirmed the advantage in terms of PFS of adding ICIs to standard platinum-based chemotherapy. While dMMR patients benefit from the incorporation of both anti PD-1 or anti PD-L1, this benefit is confined to the association of anti-PD1 agents in pMMR patients. Updated analysis of trials is awaited to clarify the impact of immunotherapy on overall survival.

Keywords: Endometrial cancer; Immunotherapy; Meta-analysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: [MB reports advisory board from GSK, MSD, EISAI, Roche; speaker fees form GSK, Astrazeneca, MSD; travel grant from Pharmamar outside the submitted work. DL reports grants from Clovis Oncology and GSK; personal fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Clovis Oncology, MSD and Pharmamar; advisory board from AstraZeneca, GSK, MSD; Institutional grants from Clovis Oncology, Genmab, GSK and MSD outside the submitted work. AO reports advisory board from Agenus, AstraZeneca, Clovis Oncology, Corcept Therapeutics, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Eisai, Exelisis, EMD Serono, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Genmab, GSK, ImmunoGen, Itheos, Merck Sharps & Dohme de España, SA, Mersana Therapeutics, Novocure, OneXerna Therapeutics, Inc., PharmaMar, Regeneron, Sattucklabs, Seagen and Sutro Biopharma; personal fees for travel/accommodation from AstraZeneca, PharmaMar and Roche; institutional funding from Abbvie Deutschland, Advaxis Inc., Aeterna Zentaris, Amgen, Aprea Therapeutics AB, Bristol Myers Squibb, Clovis Oncology Inc, EISAI limited LTD, F. Hoffmann –La Roche LTD, Immunogen Inc, Merck, Sharp & Dohme de España SA, Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc, PharmaMar SA, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Tesaro Inc. outside the submitted work. GS reports grants from MSD, and honoraria from Clovis Oncology, Tesaro, Johnson & Johnson, outside the submitted work; FP reports honoraria for advisory boards, activities as a speaker, travel grants, research grants from Amgen - Astrazeneca - Daiichi Sankyo - Celgene - Eisai - Eli Lilly- Exact Sciences- Gilead - Ipsen – Menarini- MSD - Novartis - Pierre Fabre - Pfizer - Roche - Seagen - Takeda – Viatris; Research funding from Astrazeneca – Eisai - Roche, outside the submitted work. SP reports grants from Roche; personal fees from Roche, grants and personal fees from MSD, grants and personal fees from AZ, personal fees from Clovis, personal fees from GSK, personal fees from Pharmamar, grants and personal fees from Pfizer, outside the submitted work. All the above disclosures are outside the submitted work. The other Authors have no conflict to disclose.].

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