Performance Status and Age as Predictors of Immunotherapy Outcomes in Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Despite the advancement of immunotherapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, patients with poor performance status (PS) have been excluded from clinical trials and it is unknown if the benefit exists in this cohort. Our retrospective study showed that immunotherapy is an active regimen in patients with poor PS, however, inferior survival outcomes were noted when compared to medically fit patients. Introduction: Immunotherapy has become a key treatment for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). While a survival advantage has been proven for patients who are medically fit, it is unknown whether a benefit exists for patients with poor performance status (PS). Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of NSCLC patients who received immunotherapy in our health system. Age and PS at the time of initial immunotherapy administration were assigned based on physician documentation. Radiographic response and date of progression were assigned according to the treating physician's assessment and confirmed by the study team. Immune-related adverse events were extracted from records. Results: We identified 285 NSCLC patients who received immunotherapy between January 2014 and April 2018. In this group, 153 patients (53.7%) had PS 0-1, 114 (40.0%) had PS 2, and 18 (6.3%) had PS 3. Response rates were similar across PS groups with 26.6% for PS 1, 25.2% for PS 2, and 23.1% for PS 3 (P = .95). Survival outcomes varied with pretreatment PS. For PS 0-1, PS 2, and PS 3, median overall survival was 14.7, 8.3, and 1.5 months (P<.001), and progression-free survival was 7.4, 5.1, and 1.3 months (P<.001). Patients aged < 70 had a lower rate (7.6%) of immune-related adverse events requiring steroids compared to patients >= 70 (15%) (P = .04). Conclusion: Patients with poor baseline PS demonstrate similar response rate but inferior progression-free survival and overall survival compared to medically fit patients. Prospective trials are needed to optimize treatment for this large population. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.