Comparison of population characteristics, treatment modes, and clinical outcomes of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer in clinical trials and in the real world received PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor.

Abstract

e18733 Background: Although PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have become the standard treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), data from clinical trials are difficult to be verified in the real world. This study aims to compare the differences in population characteristics, treatment modes and clinical outcomes of advanced NSCLC patients received PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors between the real-world (RWS) and the clinical study (RCT). Methods: This study enrolled 305 advanced NSCLC patients who received at least one PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor treatment selected in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University/Henan Cancer Hospital Information System and the Zero Krypton database during January 2016 to September 2019. The patients were divided into RWS group and RCT group. The PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors included pembrolizumab, sintilizumab, nivolizumab, tislelizumab, carrelizumab, teriprizumab, durvalizumab and Atezolizumab. We performed paired analysis in clinical characteristics and treatment modes. Results: There were 155 cases in the RCT group and 150 cases in the RWS group. The RCT group consisted of higher proportion in male (79.4%) and squamous-carcinoma type (41.3%) than the RWS group, while more patients of brain metastasis (28%) and combination therapy (50.7%) in the RWS group. The ORRs were 42.4% and 20.6% respectively in the RCT and RWS groups receiving first-line treatment with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, and the difference was statistically different. Moreover, the ORRs were 42.4% and 20.6% respectively in the RCT and RWS groups receiving PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor as second-line treatment, without statistical difference. The progression-free survival (PFS) was 15.5 vs. 13.5 months in the RCT and RWS groups ( P= 0.91), and the median overall survival (OS) was 25.4 vs. 33.8 months respectively ( P= 0.24), with no statistical difference. After propensity match of baseline characteristics of the two groups of patients, it contained 108 patients in the RCT and RWS groups. The PFS was 13.3 vs. 13.3 months in the RCT and RWS groups ( P= 0.47), and the median OS was 21.1 vs. 23.2 months ( P= 0.58), with no statistical difference. Conclusions: Although more female, brain metastases and adenocarcinoma patients receiving PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the real world, the clinical benefits were consistent with those in clinical trials. The results of propensity matching on the baseline characteristics of patients supported this conclusion.