Since the introduction of the first immunotherapy drug for advanced lung cancer in the U.S. in 2015, patient survival rates have increased dramatically, a new study finds.1 reliable source
Survival trends among patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer before and after acceptance of immunotherapy in the United States: a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database-based study
) For the research, a team led by Dipesh Uprety, MD, FACP, of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, which compiles cancer-related data covering about 48% of the U.S. population. The investigators' analysis focused on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for up to 90% of all lung cancer cases and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among both men and women in the United States.
Immunotherapy improves lung cancer survival
Comparing 100,995 patients with metastatic NSCLC treated in 2015-2020 (after immunotherapy was considered standard of care) and 90,807 patients with metastatic NSCLC in the pre-immunotherapy era of 2010-2014, patients in the immunotherapy era were less likely to die from any cause. Overall survival rates at one, three and five years were 40.1% vs 33.5%, 17.8% vs 11.7% and 10.7% vs 6.8%. Median overall survival was eight months in patients in the immunotherapy era and seven months in the pre-immunotherapy era.
Similarly, patients treated after immunotherapy became available were less likely to die from cancer than patients treated before immunotherapy. One-, three- and five-year cancer-specific survival rates were 44.0% vs 36.8%, 21.7% vs 14.4% and 14.3% vs 9.0%, with median survival 10 months vs eight months.
Survival rates remained significantly better in the immunotherapy era even after taking into account factors such as age, sex, race, income, and geographic region.
The investigators stressed that additional studies are needed, however. “Immunotherapy provides long-term benefits. Since the lasting benefits of immunotherapy are limited to a small group of patients, future research should be aimed at optimizing immunotherapy with new agents that may benefit a broader population,” said lead author Yating Wang, MD, of Ascension Providence Hospital.
Reference:
- Survival trends among patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer before and after approval of immunotherapy in the United States: a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database-based study – (https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.35476)
Source- Eurekalert
