Immunotherapy Treatment Patterns and Outcomes Among ALK-Positive Patients With Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

IntroductionThe treatment landscape for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) primarily involves ALK-directed tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Although therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is a treatment option in NSCLC, the efficacy of ICI is inconclusive in ALK-positive NSCLC as a result of limited data. This retrospective real-world study sought to describe the characteristics of ALK-positive NSCLC patients treated with ICI and to assesses treatment outcomes in US oncology practices. Patients and MethodsThis analysis used the Flatiron Health electronic health record–derived deidentified database and included adult (18 years and older) ALK-positive advanced NSCLC patients with receipt of one or more ICIs after January 1, 2015. Median time to ICI discontinuation and real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) were estimated by Kaplan-Meier methods. ResultsOf 83 patients with ALK-positive NSCLC treated with ICIs, 50.6% (n = 42) received ICI without a prior ALK TKI. Median time to ICI discontinuation was 2.17 months (95% confidence interval, 1.41, 3.32). The median rwPFS was 2.34 months (95% confidence interval, 1.55, 3.09); in patients who received an ICI without prior ALK TKI, it was 3.9 months, and in patients who received ICI therapy after an ALK TKI, it was 1.5 months. ConclusionsReal-world effectiveness (rwPFS) of ICIs in ALK-positive NSCLC patients, whether provided before or after TKIs, was limited, underscoring the relative lack of efficacy of ICI in this patient population, particularly compared to approved ALK TKIs.