驱动基因阴性非小细胞肺癌二线治疗中国专家共识

对于驱动基因阴性的晚期非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)患者而言,既往化疗一直都是标准治疗选择,而免疫检查点抑制剂(immune checkpoint inhibitors,ICIs)的加入为这部分患者提供了新的治疗选择。目前一线治疗可以选择化疗、抗血管生成药物或免疫治疗。尽管初始治疗能获得一定的有效率,但仍不可避免地会出现疾病进展或治疗失败,二线及以上治疗疗效差,患者预后不佳,临床上需要更多有效的二线治疗药物。中国临床肿瘤学会非小细胞肺癌专家委员会组织呼吸科、肿瘤科、病理科专家对驱动基因阴性人群临床研究证据进行了深入探讨,根据专家组讨论后广泛认可的临床诊疗经验,对驱动基因阴性NSCLC患者二线治疗制定了统一的专家共识,可作为中国临床医师选择驱动基因阴性NSCLC二线治疗的指导依据。

EGFR 20外显子插入突变非小细胞肺癌规范化诊疗中国专家共识(2023版)

随着非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)精准诊疗的不断发展,表皮生长因子受体(epider-mal growth factor receptor,EGFR)20外显子插入(exon 20 insertion,ex20ins)突变作为罕见突变亚型逐渐被关注,其异质性高,不同插入位点亚型临床获益不同,预后极差,对现有传统治疗方案疗效有限,且常规聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)漏检率近50%,因此,在临床诊疗过程中更应该引起高度重视。本共识专家组通过国内外文献及临床数据的参考,并且结合专家自身临床经验,形成EGFR ex20ins突变NSCLC临床规范化诊疗专家共识,分别从疾病认知、疾病检测、疾病治疗和疾病相关新型靶向药物研发现状等方面提出共识性建议,以期为各级临床医师提供用药参考。

中国非小细胞肺癌免疫检查点抑制剂治疗专家共识(2019年版)

非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC)是肺癌中最常见的病理类型,大多数NSCLC患者在确诊时已属晚期。对于驱动基因突变阴性的患者而言,目前的治疗仍以化疗为主,总体预后较差,改善治疗现状、获得长期生存是晚期NSCLC患者最迫切的需求。近年来,肿瘤免疫治疗发展迅速,免疫检查点抑制剂(immune checkpoint inhibitors, ICIs),尤其是以程序性死亡因子-1(programmed death-1, PD-1)/程序性死亡因子配体-1(programmed deathligand 1, PD-L1)为靶点的ICIs在驱动基因突变阴性的NSCLC治疗中取得了突破性的进展,为患者带来了生存获益,改变了NSCLC的治疗格局,显示出越来越重要的地位。由中国临床肿瘤学会(Chinese society of clinical oncology, CSCO)NSCLC专家委员会牵头,组织该领域的相关专家,在参考国内外文献、系统评价中外临床研究结果、结合专家经验与体会的基础上,达成统一意见并制定本共识,以期指导国内同行更好地应用ICIs治疗NSCLC。

中国非小细胞肺癌免疫检查点抑制剂治疗专家共识(2020年版)

非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)是肺癌最常见的病理类型。晚期NSCLC的系统性抗肿瘤治疗经历了化疗、靶向治疗及免疫治疗的变革,患者总体生存时间不断延长。免疫检查点抑制剂(immune checkpoint inhibitors,ICIs),尤其是程序性死亡分子-1(programmed cell death protein 1,PD-1)/程序性死亡分子配体-1(programmed death-ligand 1,PD-L1)抗体已成为表皮生长因子受体(epidermal growth factor receptor,EGFR)/间变性淋巴瘤激酶(anaplastic lymphoma kinase,ALK)阴性晚期NSCLC一线及二线的标准治疗和局部晚期NSCLC同步放化疗后标准治疗,并在辅助/新辅助治疗中显示出可喜的结果,改变了NSCLC整体治疗格局。随着越来越多的ICIs在国内获批肺癌适应证,中国临床肿瘤学会(Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology,CSCO)NSCLC专家委员会牵头,组织该领域的专家,结合2019年版专家共识,参考最新国内外文献、临床研究数据及系统评价,在专家共同讨论的基础上,达成统一意见并制定、更新本共识,为国内同行更好地应用ICIs治疗NSCLC提供参考意见。

肿瘤突变负荷应用于肺癌免疫治疗的专家共识

肺癌是全球范围内发病率和死亡率最高的恶性肿瘤之一。免疫检查点抑制剂(immune checkpoint inhibitors,ICIs),包括程序性死亡受体1(programmed cell death 1,PD-1)抗体、程序性死亡受体1配体(programmed cell death ligand 1,PD-L1)抗体和细胞毒性T淋巴细胞相关蛋白4(cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4,CTLA-4)抗体,给部分晚期肺癌患者带来了显著的生存获益,改变了晚期肺癌的治疗格局。既往研究表明,PD-1/PD-L1抗体在晚期非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)中的客观缓解率只有20%左右。所以临床亟需可靠的生物标志物协助筛选ICIs潜在获益人群,提高治疗响应率。肿瘤突变负荷(tumor mutational burden,TMB)是除PD-L1表达以外新兴的免疫治疗标志物。肺癌中PD-L1表达与TMB的相关性不大,评估TMB可扩大免疫治疗的获益人群。然而在临床实践中,TMB的检测、阈值的确定和临床指导策略仍然没有形成规范。本共识将对TMB检测和应用场景给出指导性建议,以促进TMB在肺癌免疫治疗中应用的规范化。

PD-L1 expression and its effect on clinical outcomes of EGFRmutant NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs

Objective:Epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)activation was reported to upregulate programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1)expression in lung cancer cells and subsequently contribute to immune escape,indicating its critical role in EGFR-driven lung tumors.This study characterized PD-L1 expression in patients with surgically resected EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).The effect of PD-L1 expression on clinical outcomes was also investigated in advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC treated with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs).Methods:In total,73 patients with surgically resected NSCLC and EGFR mutations were identified.PD-L1 expression and CD8+tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte(TIL)density were assessed by immunohistochemistry.A literature review of publications that assessed the predictive and prognostic value of PD-L1 expression in advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs was performed.Results:Nineteen(26.0%)patients were positive for PD-L1 expression,which was significantly associated with concomitant KRAS mutation(P=0.020)and marginally associated with higher CD8+TILs density(P=0.056).Positive PD-L1 expression was associated with markedly inferior overall survival(OS)in multivariate analysis(P=0.032).The combination of PD-L1 and CD8+TILs expression could be used to stratify the population into three groups with distinct prognoses.A meta-analysis of six publications showed that positive PD-L1 expression was not associated with OS[hazard ratio(HR)=0.90;95%confidence interval(CI),0.42–1.38]or progression-free survival(HR=1.03;95 CI,0.73–1.33)in advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients receiving EGFR-TKIs.Conclusions:PD-L1 expression tended to correlate with CD8+TIL expression,concomitant KRAS mutation,and poor survival in surgically resected EGFR-mutant NSCLC.PD-L1 expression was neither the predictive nor the prognostic factor in advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs.

Uncommon EGFR mutations in a cohort of Chinese NSCLC patients and outcomes of first-line EGFR-TKIs and platinum-based chemotherapy

Objective： Data on the clinical activity of epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR） tyrosine kinase inhibitors （TKIs） in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer （NSCLC） and uncommon EGFR mutations remain insufficient. This study aimed to investigate the effect of first-line EGFR-TKIs or platinum-based chemotherapy in NSCLC patients with uncommon EGFR mutations. Methods： We retrospectively enrolled 504 patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC. The clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were collected and compared between patients with common and uncommon EGFR-mutant NSCLC. Results： Seventy patients （13.9%） harboring uncommon EGFR mutations were included. Thirty of these patients received EGFR-TKIs and 40 received platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line therapy. The objective response rate （ORR） and median progression-free survival （mPFS） of patients treated with TKIs in the uncommon mutation group was significantly inferior to that in the common mutation group （ORR： 23.3% vs. 51.8%, P=0.003; mPFS： 7.1 vs. 10.9 months, P〈0.001）. In the uncommon group, mPFS was similar between first-line EGFR-TKIs treatment and platinum-based chemotherapy （7.1 vs. 6.1 months, P=0.893）. In patients with EGFR G719X or L861Q mutations, the mPFS was longer in the first-line EGFR-TKIs treatment group than in the chemotherapy group, but the difference was not statistically significant （G719X： 8.2 vs. 5.8 months, P=0.061; L861Q： 7.6 vs. 4.1 months, P=0.872）. Multivariate analyses identified adenocarcinoma （P=0.003） as the independent predictive factor for PFS in patients with uncommon EGFR mutations who were treated with first-line EGFR-TKIs. Conclusions： The current study demonstrated that the effect of first-line EGFR-TKIs was similar to that of platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with uncommon EGFR-mutant NSCLC. Adenocarcinoma was the independent predictive factor for PFS in uncommon EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with first-line EGFR- TKIs.

Advances in the management of acquired resistance to EGFR-TKI in non-small cell lung cancer

Drugs that specifically target the tyrosine kinase domain of epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), such as erlotinib or gefitinib, have exhibited striking efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) patients harboring activating EGFR mutations. However, acquired resistance inevitably develops and remains a serious barrier for the successful management of patients with this disease. Multiple mechanisms are reportedly involved in the process of acquired resistance, which provide new insights into the management of EGFRtyrosine kinase inhibitor(EGFR-TKI) resistance. Here, we provide an overview of the emerging treatment approaches for patients with EGFR-TKI resistance.

Analysis of the clinical characteristics between cavitating squamous cell lung carcinoma and non-cavitating squamous cell lung carcinoma

Objective: To identify the differences between cavitating squamous cell lung carcinoma (cSLC) and non-cavitating squamous cell lung carcinoma (ncSLC). Methods: Fifty-one patients with cSLC and 281 with ncSLC confirmed by surgery in our hospital between 1999 to 2000 were collected and their clinical, histological and survival features were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Patients with cSLC had more frequent manifestation of infection and weight loss. They usually experienced longer duration of pre-diagnosis and showed bigger tumor mass, larger primary tumor invasion with worse differentiated than ncSLC patients. There was no significant difference in age, sex, smoking history, family tumor history, personal tuberculosis history, disease location, TNM stage, lymph node invasion, and metastasis between the two groups. Median survival time was 29 months for cSLC and 35 months for ncSLC. One- and 3- year survival rates were 86.3% and 43.1% for cSLC vs. 91.1% and 47.0% for ncSLC respectively (P>0.05). Conclusion: Patients with cSLC presented with a bigger mass, a larger extent of primary tumor invasion, worse differentiated, more obstructed pneumonia that might result in longer duration of pre-diagnosis and more weight loss. As lack of differences in disease stages, lymph node invasion, metastasis and especially survival time with ncSLC, cSLC couldn’t be classified as a special type of squamous cell carcinoma by present evidences.

Outcome comparison of pyrotinib with current standard of care in the second/third line setting in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with HER2 mutation

To the Editor:In recent years,impressive outcomes have been achieved in patients harboring human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)mutations,which accounts for 1%to 4%of cases in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).

Recent advances in immunotherapy for lung cancer

Lung cancer is the malignant tumor with the highest morbidity andmortality in China, and nonsmall cell lung cancer is a common form oflung cancer. After undergoing chemotherapy and molecular targetedtherapy, the treatment of lung cancer has now fully entered the era ofimmunotherapy. Immunotherapy‐based treatment has become one of thestandard treatments for lung cancer. Immunotherapy has also graduallymoved from the back line to the front line, from advanced to earlypatients. This article focuses on the latest developments in perioperativeand advanced lung cancer immunotherapy, discusses the problems andchallenges at the current stage, and explores new directions for futuredevelopment.

EGFR20外显子插入突变非小细胞肺癌规范化诊疗中国专家共识(2024版)

表皮生长因子受体(epidermal growth factor receptor,EGFR)20外显子插入(exon 20 insertion,ex20ins)突变非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)的规范化诊疗在《EGFR 20外显子插入突变非小细胞肺癌规范化诊疗中国专家共识(2023版)》中进行了阐述,提高了临床医生对该罕见靶点的关注。随着疾病领域探索的深入及新型靶向药物的获批,EGFR ex20ins NSCLC的诊疗策略也随之更新。本共识在2023版中国专家共识的基础上进行更新,专家组通过参考国内外文献及临床数据并结合专家自身临床经验,分别从疾病认知、疾病检测、疾病治疗和新型靶向药物研发现状等方面更新共识性建议,以期更好地为临床医师提供用药参考。

Non-small cell lung cancer in China

In China,lung cancer is a primary cancer type with high incidence and mortality.Risk factors for lung cancer include tobacco use,family history,radiation exposure,and the presence of chronic lung diseases.Most early-stage non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)patients miss the optimal timing for treatment due to the lack of clinical presentations.Population-based nationwide screening programs are of significant help in increasing the early detection and survival rates of NSCLC in China.The understanding of molecular carcinogenesis and the identification of oncogenic drivers dramatically facilitate the development of targeted therapy for NSCLC,thus prolonging survival in patients with positive drivers.In the exploration of immune escape mechanisms,programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1)inhibitor monotherapy and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy have become a standard of care for advanced NSCLC in China.In the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology’s guidelines for NSCLC,maintenance immunotherapy is recommended for locally advanced NSCLC after chemoradiotherapy.Adjuvant immunotherapy and neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy will be approved for resectable NSCLC.In this review,we summarized recent advances in NSCLC in China in terms of epidemiology,biology,molecular pathology,pathogenesis,screening,diagnosis,targeted therapy,and immunotherapy。

Alterations of DNA damage response pathway:Biomarker and therapeutic strategy for cancer immunotherapy

Genomic instability remains an enabling feature of cancer and promotes malignant transformation.Alterations of DNA damage response(DDR)pathways allow genomic instability,generate neoantigens,upregulate the expression of programmed death ligand 1(PD-L1)and interact with signaling such as cyclic GMPe AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes(cGASe STING)signaling.Here,we review the basic knowledge of DDR pathways,mechanisms of genomic instability induced by DDR alterations,impacts of DDR alterations on immune system,and the potential applications of DDR alterations as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer immunotherapy.

The cutting-edge progress of immune-checkpoint blockade in lung cancer

Great advances in immune checkpoint blockade have resulted in a paradigm shift in patients with lung cancer.Immune-checkpoint inhibitor(ICI)treatment,either as monotherapy or combination therapy,has been established as the standard of care for patients with locally advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer without EGFR/ALK alterations or extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.An increasing number of clinical trials are also ongoing to further investigate the role of ICIs in patients with early-stage lung cancer as neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy.Although PD-L1 expression and tumor mutational burden have been widely studied for patient selection,both of these biomarkers are imperfect.Due to the complex cancer-immune interactions among tumor cells,the tumor microenvironment and host immunity,collaborative efforts are needed to establish a multidimensional immunogram to integrate complementary predictive biomarkers for personalized immunotherapy.Furthermore,as a result of the wide use of ICIs,managing acquired resistance to ICI treatment remains an inevitable challenge.A deeper understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of acquired resistance to ICIs is helpful to overcome these obstacles.In this review,we describe the cutting-edge progress made in patients with lung cancer,the optimal duration of ICI treatment,ICIs in some special populations,the unique response patterns during ICI treatment,the emerging predictive biomarkers,and our understanding of primary and acquired resistance mechanisms to ICI treatment.

Sintilimab versus docetaxel as second-line treatment in advanced or metastatic squamous non-small-cell lung cancer:an open-label,randomized controlled phase 3 trial(ORIENT-3)

Background:Treatment options for Chinese patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous-cell non-small-cell lung cancer(sqNSCLC)after failure of first-line chemotherapy are limited.This study(ORIENT-3)aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sintilimab versus docetaxel as second-line treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic sqNSCLC.Methods:ORIENT-3 was an open-label,multicenter,randomized controlled phase 3 trial that recruited patients with stage IIIB/IIIC/IV sqNSCLC after failure with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 200 mg of sintilimab or 75 mg/m^(2) of docetaxel intravenously every 3 weeks,stratified by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status.The primary endpoint was overall survival(OS)in the full analysis set(FAS).Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival(PFS),objective response rate(ORR),disease control rate(DCR),duration of response(DoR)and safety.Results:Between August 25,2017,and November 7,2018,290 patients were randomized.For FAS,10 patients fromthe docetaxel armwere excluded.Themedian OS was 11.79(n=145;95%confidence interval[CI],10.28-15.57)months with sintilimab versus 8.25(n=135;95%CI,6.47-9.82)months with docetaxel(hazard ratio[HR]:0.74;95%CI,0.56-0.96;P=0.025).Sintilimab treatment significantly prolonged PFS(median 4.30 vs.2.79 months;HR:0.52;95%CI,0.39-0.68;P<0.001)and showed higher ORR(25.50%vs.2.20%,P<0.001)and DCR(65.50%vs.37.80%,P<0.001)than the docetaxel arm.The median DoRwas 12.45(95%CI,4.86-25.33)months in the sintilimab arm and 4.14(95%CI,1.41-7.23)months in the docetaxel arm(P=0.045).Treatment-related adverse events of grade≥3were reported in 26(18.1%)patients in the sintilimab arm and 47(36.2%)patients in the docetaxel arm.Exploratory biomarker analysis showed potential predictive values of expression levels of two transcription factors,including OVOL2(HR:0.35;P<0.001)and CTCF(HR:3.50;P<0.001),for sintilimab treatment.Conclusions:Compared with docetaxel,sintilimab significantly improved the OS,PFS,and ORR of Chinese patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic sqNSCLC.

Toripalimab plus chemotherapy as second-line treatment in previously EGFR-TKI treated patients with EGFR-mutant-advanced NSCLC:a multicenter phase-II trial

This multicenter phase-II trial aimed to investigate the efficacy,safety,and predictive biomarkers of toripalimab plus chemotherapy as second-line treatment in patients with EGFR-mutant-advanced NSCLC.Patients who failed from first-line EGFR-TKIs and did not harbor T790M mutation were enrolled.Toripalimab plus carboplatin and pemetrexed were administrated every three weeks for up to six cycles,followed by the maintenance of toripalimab and pemetrexed.The primary endpoint was objective-response rate(ORR).Integrated biomarker analysis of PD-L1 expression,tumor mutational burden(TMB),CD8+tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte(TIL)density,whole-exome,and transcriptome sequencing on tumor biopsies were also conducted.Forty patients were enrolled with an overall ORR of 50.0%and disease-control rate(DCR)of 87.5%.The median progression free survival(PFS)and overall survival were 7.0 and 23.5 months,respectively.The most common treatment-related adverse effects were leukopenia,neutropenia,anemia,ALT/AST elevation,and nausea.Biomarker analysis showed that none of PD-L1 expression,TMB level,and CD8+TIL density could serve as a predictive biomarker.Integrated analysis of whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing data revealed that patients with DSPP mutation had a decreased M2 macrophage infiltration and associated with longer PFS than those of wild type.Toripalimab plus chemotherapy showed a promising anti-tumor activity with acceptable safety profiles as the second-line setting in patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC.DSPP mutation might serve as a potential biomarker for this combination.A phase-III trial to compare toripalimab versus placebo in combination with chemotherapy in this setting is ongoing(NCT03924050).

Multiplexed imaging of tumor immune microenvironmental markers in locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer characterizes the features of response to PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy

Background:Although programmed cell death 1(PD-1)blockade plus chemotherapy can significantly prolong the progression-free survival(PFS)and overall survival(OS)in first-line settings in patients with driver-negative advanced non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC),the predictive biomarkers remain undetermined.Here,we investigated the predictive value of tumor immune microenvironmental marker expression to characterize the response features to PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy.Methods:Tumor tissue samples at baseline were prospectively collected from 144 locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients without driver gene alterations who received camrelizumab plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone.Tumor immune microenvironmental markers,including PD-1 ligand(PDL1),CD8,CD68,CD4 and forkhead box P3,were assessed using multiplex immunofluorescence(mIF)assays.Kaplan-Meier curveswere used to determine treatment outcome differences according to their expression status.Mutational profiles were compared between tumors with distinct expression levels of these markers and their combinations.Results:Responders had significantly higher CD8/PD-L1(P=0.015)or CD68/PD-L1 co-expression levels(P=0.021)than non-responders in the camrelizumab plus chemotherapy group,while no difference was observed in the chemotherapy group.Patients with high CD8/PD-L1 or CD68/PD-L1 co-expression level was associated with significantly longer PFS(P=0.002,P=0.024;respectively)and OS(P=0.006,P=0.026;respectively)than those with low co-expression in camrelizumab plus chemotherapy group.When comparing survival in the camrelizumab plus chemotherapy with chemotherapy by CD8/PD-L1 co-expression stratification,significantly better PFS(P=0.003)and OS(P=0.032)were observed in high co-expression subgroups.The predictive value of CD8/PD-L1 and CD68/PD-L1 co-expression remained statistically significant for PFS and OS when adjusting clinicopathological features.Although the prevalence of TP53 or KRAS mutations was similar between patients with and without CD8/PD-L1 or CD68/PD-L1 co-expression,the positive groups had a significantly higher proportion of TP53/KRAS co-mutations than the negative groups(both 13.0%vs.0.0%,P=0.023).Notably,enriched PI3K(P=0.012)and cell cycle pathway(P=0.021)were found in the CD8/PD-L1 co-expression group.Conclusion:Tumor immune microenvironmental marker expression,especially CD8/PD-L1 or CD68/PD-L1 co-expression,was associated with the efficacy of PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Paclitaxel liposome for injection (Lipusu) plus cisplatin versus gemcitabine plus cisplatin in the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic lung squamous cell carcinoma: A multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel controlled clinical study

Background:Lipusu is the first commercialized liposomal formulation of pacli-taxel and has demonstrated promising efficacy against locally advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma(LSCC)in a small-scale study.Here,we conducted a multicenter,randomized,phase 3 study to compare the efficacy and safety of cis-platin plus Lipusu(LP)versus cisplatin plus gemcitabine(GP)as first-line treat-ment in locally advanced or metastatic LSCC.Methods:Patients enrolled were aged between 18 to 75 years,had locally advanced(clinical stage IIIB,ineligible for concurrent chemoradiation or surgery)or metastatic(Stage IV)LSCC,had no previous systemic chemother-apy and at least one measurable lesion as per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors(version 1.1)before administration of the trial drug.The primary endpoint was progression-free survival(PFS).The secondary endpoints included objective response rate(ORR),disease control rate(DCR),overall survival(OS),and safety profiles.To explore the possible predictive value of plasma cytokines for LP treatment,plasma samples were collected from the LP group at baseline and first efficacy evaluation time and were then subjected to analysis by 45-Plex ProcartaPlex Panel 1 to detect the presence of 45 cytokines using the Luminex xMAP technology.The correlation between treatment outcomes and dynamic changes in the levels of cytokines were evaluated in preliminary analyses.Results:The median duration of follow-up was 15.4 months.237 patients in the LP group and 253 patients in the GP group were included in the per protocol set(PPS).In the PPS,the median PFS was 5.2 months versus 5.5 months in the LP and GP group(hazard rtio[HR]:1.03,P=0.742)respectively.The median OS was 14.6 months versus 12.5 months in the LP and GP group(HR:0.83,P=0.215).The ORR(41.8%versus 45.9%,P=0.412)and DCR(90.3%versus 88.1%,P=0.443)were also similar between the LP and GP group.A significantly lower proportion of patients in the LP group experienced adverse events(AEs)leading to treatment interruptions(10.9%versus 26.4%,P<0.001)or treatment termination(14.3%versus 23.1%,P=0.011).The analysis of cytokine levels in the LP group showed that low baseline levels of 27 cytokines were associated with an increased ORR,and 15 cytokines were associated with improved PFS,with 14 cytokines,including TNF-a,IFN-y,IL-6,and IL-8,demonstrating an overlapping trend.Conclusion:The LP regimen demonstrated similar PFS,OS,ORR and DCR as the GP regimen for patients with locally advanced or metastatic LSCC but had more favorable toxicity profiles.The study also identified a spectrum of different cytokines that could be potentially associated with the clinical benefit in patients who received the LP regimen.

Multi-cancer blood testing combined with PET-CT:road for hope to screen for cancer and guide intervention

In a recent study published in Science,Lennon et al.1 investigated the feasibility and safety of multi-cancer peripheral blood testing in combination with positron emission tomography-computed tomography(PET-CT)imaging to detect cancer in 10,006 women not previously known to have cancer.Their findings reveal that multi-cancer blood testing coupled with diagnostic PET-CT can be safely incorporated into routine clinical care to screen for cancer without discouraging patients from engaging in other forms of standard-of-care(SOC)screening;moreover,it is possible to intervene on the basis of blood testing results,in some cases leading to surgery with intent to cure(Fig.1).