Current status of the clinical use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors: a questionnaire survey of oncologists in China

Bicheng Zhang,Jun Wang,Yuxiao Song,Bo Zhu,Baocheng Wang,Yang Fu

doi:10.1186/s12885-020-6583-3

Abstract

BackgroundThe purpose of the present study was to obtain information on the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors by oncologists in China through a national questionnaire survey.MethodsBetween the 7th and 25th of July in 2019, a questionnaire designed by the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology Immuno-Oncology (CSCO IO) Committee on the current status of the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors was distributed online and offline to cancer-related medical departments in thirty different provinces and autonomous regions of China. The national questionnaire consisted of three sections as follows: general information, current status of the application of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the clinic, and oncologists’ concerns regarding utilization.ResultsThe valid response rate of the current status survey was 76.3%. The proportion of senior doctors (physician-in-charge or a more superior position for more than 3 years) among the respondents was relatively high (67.0% in 588). Of the respondents, 59.2% had prescribed PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors during clinical treatment, and the most frequent reason for not prescribing these inhibitors was the choice “do not understand the mechanism and the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors”. In addition, 77.9% of the prescribers used the medications in an off-label situation, and the most important motivation for this use was the fact that “there were indications abroad but not domestically”. In addition, 77.9% of the prescribers believed that “immunotherapy-related adverse effects could be controlled or intervened through follow-up management”. The prescribers were mostly concerned about “how to identify pseudoprogression and hyperprogression” and “immunity-related adverse effects management”.ConclusionThe present study highlights the current status of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in China. Increasing numbers of medical oncologists are interested in PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, and they are in need of immunotherapy education.

Highlights

The purpose of the present study was to obtain information on the use of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors by oncologists in China through a national questionnaire survey
Despite being approved for only unresectable or metastatic melanoma, ipilimumab can be viewed as a promising therapeutic strategy for many cancer types, such as renal cell carcinoma (RCC) [5], non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) [6] and small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
The results showed four groups of answers, including two identical groups of doctors who were most concerned. This national survey is the first to investigate the current status of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the Chinese mainland by distributing a questionnaire to physicians involved in cancer treatment

Summary

Introduction

The purpose of the present study was to obtain information on the use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors by oncologists in China through a national questionnaire survey. Immunotherapy has recently arisen as an attractive and feasible alternative treatment method for a subgroup of patients with various cancer types. This therapeutic strategy, which works by enhancing the function of antitumor T lymphocytes, is especially promising and has yielded exceptional results in clinical cancer treatment [1]. Despite being approved for only unresectable or metastatic melanoma, ipilimumab can be viewed as a promising therapeutic strategy for many cancer types, such as renal cell carcinoma (RCC) [5], non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) [6] and small cell lung cancer (SCLC)

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