2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Posters)-EP13.03. Small Cell Lung Cancer Immune Related Adverse Events, Survival Impacts

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This study investigates the relationship between immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and survival among patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). ICIs have limited efficacy for SCLC and are often combined with chemotherapy for first-line treatment. Previous studies have shown that the development of irAEs is associated with increased progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in non-small cell lung cancer, but data for SCLC is limited.<br /><br />The researchers created a retrospective registry of all patients who received at least one dose of an ICI between February 2011 and April 2022 at a comprehensive cancer center. Clinical documentation was reviewed for treatment-emergent adverse events, and the severity and attribution were estimated using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. PFS and OS were compared using the Kaplan-Meier curve, and statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal Wallis test.<br /><br />The total cohort consisted of 245 patients with SCLC, of which 23% experienced irAEs. Among the irAEs, 10% were high-grade. The most common high-grade irAEs were diarrhea/colitis, pneumonitis, and inflammatory arthritis. The most common low-grade irAE was thyroiditis. <br /><br />The results showed that patients who experienced a low-grade irAE had over a two-fold increase in overall survival compared to those who had no irAE. Similarly, patients with a high-grade irAE had a nearly 50% increase in survival. These findings are consistent with previous studies in non-small cell lung cancer and suggest the need for further research to explore potential mechanisms and predictive biomarkers.<br /><br />In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the development of irAEs is associated with improved survival outcomes in patients with SCLC treated with ICIs. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring and managing adverse events in the treatment of SCLC and suggest that irAEs could potentially serve as predictive biomarkers.

Asset Subtitle

John Hunting

Meta Tag

Speaker John Hunting

Topic SCLC & Neuroendocrine Tumors: First Line Therapy

Keywords

immune-related adverse events

survival

small cell lung cancer

immune checkpoint inhibitors

efficacy

chemotherapy

progression-free survival

overall survival

high-grade irAEs

predictive biomarkers