Novel risk scoring system for immune checkpoint inhibitors treatment in non-small cell lung cancer

Prognostic models for immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer: A comprehensive review

The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized the treatment of lung cancer. Given the limited clinical benefits of immunotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), various predictors have been shown to significantly influence prognosis. However, no single predictor is adequate to forecast patients' survival benefit. Therefore, it's imperative to develop a prognostic model that integrates multiple predictors. This model would be instrumental in identifying patients who might benefit from ICIs. Retrospective analysis and small case series have demonstrated the potential role of these models in prognostic prediction, though further prospective investigation is required to evaluate more rigorously their application in these contexts. This article presents and summarizes the latest research advancements on immunotherapy prognostic models for NSCLC from multiple omics perspectives and discuss emerging strategies being developed to enhance the domain.

Development of a Novel Predictive-Prognostic Scoring Index for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become the standard of care for the treatment of patients with driver mutation absent advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study aimed to develop a reliable, reproducible, and practical scoring system to prognosticate and predict response to ICI response in patients with advanced NSCLC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All patients who were diagnosed as having unresectable/advanced stage NSCLC and were treated with at least one cycle of ICIs at the Medical Oncology Departments of Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital (Nicosia, Cyprus) and Near East University Hospital (Nicosia, Cyprus) were included in the study. The association between variables and OS was evaluated using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Variables with a P-value less than 0.05 in the univariate analysis were included in the multivariate model. A prognostic scoring system was developed.  Survival estimates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The value of the Concordance index (C-index) and the area under the curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the discriminative ability of scoring systems.

RESULTS

One hundred fifty consecutive patients with unresectable/metastatic NSCLC who received PD-1 inhibitors between March 2017 and November 2022 were included. In the multivariate Cox regression model, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) were significantly associated with OS. We generated a new score using CRP ³1.0 mg/dL, ECOG PS ³2, and LDH level >ULN. Relative weight was based on the HRs of multivariate analyses (CRP ³1.0 mg/dL 2 points, ECOG PS ³2 2.5 points, and LDH level >ULN 1.5 points). The cohort was divided into three risk groups based on the sum of factors present: 0-2.5 (good risk), 3.5-4.5 (intermediate risk), or 6 (poor risk). The median OS was 18.9, 7.4, and 2.9 months for good, intermediate, and poor risk categories, respectively (log-rank test, p<0.001). The Harrell C-index of CEL to predict OS and PFS was 0.73 and 0.69, respectively, indicating significant predictability. The AUC of the scoring index for predicting the responses was 0.765 (95% CI: 0.685-0.845).

CONCLUSION

The CEL score is a promising prognostic and predictive index consisting of serum CRP levels (C), ECOG PS (E), and serum LDH levels (L). This represents another step forward in the treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC.

Clinical potential of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC): a rapidly evolving strategy

Programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade therapy has become a game-changing therapeutic approach revolutionizing the treatment setting of human malignancies, such as renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Despite the remarkable clinical activity of anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies, only a small portion of patients exhibit a positive response to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy, and the primary or acquired resistance might ultimately favor cancer development in patients with clinical responses. In light of this, recent reports have signified that the addition of other therapeutic modalities to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy might improve clinical responses in advanced RCC patients. Until, combination therapy with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy plus cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitor (ipilimumab) or various vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs) inhibitors axitinib, such as axitinib and cabozantinib, has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as first-line treatment for metastatic RCC. In the present review, we have focused on the therapeutic benefits of the PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy as a single agent or in combination with other conventional or innovative targeted therapies in RCC patients. We also offer a glimpse into the well-determined prognostic factor associated with the clinical response of RCC patients to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy.

Biological Rationale for Peripheral Blood Cell-Derived Inflammatory Indices and Related Prognostic Scores in Patients with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To describe the biological rationale of peripheral blood cells (PBC)-derived inflammatory indexes and assess the related prognostic scores for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI).

RECENT FINDINGS

Inflammatory indexes based on PBC may indicate a pro-inflammatory condition affecting the immune response to cancer. The lung immune prognostic index (LIPI), consisting of derived neutrophils-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and lactate dehydrogenase, is a validated prognostic tool, especially for pretreated aNSCLC patients, where the combination of NLR and PD-L1 tumour expression might also be predictive of immunotherapy benefit. In untreated high-PD-L1 aNSCLC patients, the Lung-Immune-Prognostic score (LIPS), including NLR, ECOG PS and concomitant steroids, is prognostic, and its modified version might indicate patients with favourable outcomes despite an ECOG PS of 2. NLR times platelets (i.e., SII), included in the NHS-Lung score, might improve the prognostication for combined chemoimmunotherapy. PBC-derived inflammatory indexes and related scores represent accurate, reproducible and non-expensive prognostic tools with clinical and research utility.

Prognostic scores including peripheral blood-derived inflammatory indices in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

Peripheral blood inflammatory indices, like the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), may reflect the host's pro-inflammatory status and systemic immune response to cancer-related inflammation. We reviewed 22 combined prognostic scores based on peripheral blood-derived inflammatory indices for aNSCLC patients treated with single-agent or combination immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) as first-line or subsequent therapy lines and attempted evidence strength assessment and scoring. The Lung Immune Prognostic Index (LIPI), consisting of derived NLR and LDH, was the most studied score with validated prognostic value in over five thousand aNSCLC ICI-naïve or pretreated patients. The combination of NLR and tumour programmed-cell-death-ligand1 (PD-L1) expression showed a predictive value. The Lung-Immune-Prognostic score (LIPS) might help identify patients with poor performance status but a favourable outcome following first-line ICI. These non-expensive scores can help clinicians discuss the prognosis with aNSCLC patients approaching ICI, identify those less likely to benefit from single-agent ICI and orient future clinical research.

Efficacy and predictors of rechallenge with immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

The efficacy of rechallenge with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients has not yet been fully clarified. This study aimed to identify the clinical characteristics of patients with NSCLC who benefited from rechallenge with ICIs.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 24 patients who were diagnosed with NSCLC and rechallenged with ICIs between August 2016 and July 2021.

RESULTS

Of the 24 patients included in the study, 11 were in the responder group (45.8%) and 13 in the nonresponder group (54.2%). The number of patients who used a different ICI from that used in the initial therapy was significantly higher in the responder group than in the nonresponder group (p = 0.006). Multivariate analysis identified lung metastasis and female sex as significant independent risk factors for nonresponse to rechallenge with ICIs. Compared to the nonresponder group, the duration of treatment after rechallenge with ICIs was significantly longer in the responder group (p = 0.016), and there was a trend toward longer overall survival (p = 0.059).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with lung cancer who were rechallenged with ICIs and without progressive disease after initial ICI therapy were able to continue ICI therapy for a longer period of time. This may be associated with longer survival. Patients with lung metastases and female patients are more likely to be nonresponsive to rechallenge with ICIs. Administration of a different type of ICI from that used in the initial ICI therapy may result in disease control.

Outcomes of Image-Guided Moderately Hypofractionated Radiotherapy for Stage III Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of hypofractionated radiotherapy (hypo-RT) for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the Chinese population.

Methods

Eighty-six stage III NSCLC patients who received hypo-RT (60 Gy/20 fractions, BED = 78.00 Gy: 73 patients; 62.5 Gy/25 fractions, BED = 78.13 Gy: 13 patients) were recruited. Fifty-seven patients who received conventional radiotherapy (60 Gy/30 fractions, BED = 72.00 Gy) during the same period were enrolled as the control group. All hypo-RT treatments were conducted using image-guided technology. The efficacy and toxicity of the treatment were compared between the two groups.

Results

The median duration of follow-up was 23.0 months (range: 4.0–82.0 months). Univariate and multivariate analyses of all 143 stage III NSCLC patients revealed that hypo-RT was an independent factor for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The median PFS and OS of hypo-RT were significantly higher than in the conventional RT group (PFS: 14.30, 11.00 months, p=0.035; OS: 43.30, 31.50 months, p=0.045). The incidence rates of symptomatic radiation pneumonitis and radiation esophagitis (≥grade 2) were 17.77% and 27.91%, respectively, in the hypo-RT group. Compared to the conventional radiation therapy group (22.81% and 19.30%, respectively), no significant differences were found between the two common side effects (p=0.662 and p=0.241, respectively).

Conclusion

For Chinese stage III NSCLC patients, image-guided hypo-RT offers favorable prognosis, and the treatment toxicity was totally acceptable. This radiation modality deserves further prospective clinical trials.