Research Article

Characterization of patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer obtaining long-term benefit from immunotherapy

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

^‡Authors contributed equally

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Claudia Proto^‡

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

^‡Authors contributed equally

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Diego Signorelli

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

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Martina Imbimbo

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

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Roberto Ferrara

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

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Arsela Prelaj

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

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Alessandro De Toma

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

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Monica Ganzinelli

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

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Nicoletta Zilembo

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

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Filippo de Braud

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

Department of Medical Oncology & Hematology, University of Milan, via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122 Milan, Italy

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Marina C Garassino

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

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Giuseppe Lo Russo

*Author for correspondence: Tel.: +39 022 390 3829; Fax: +39 022 390 2775;

E-mail Address: giuseppe.lorusso@istitutotumori.mi.it

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3224-2728

Department of Medical Oncology, Unit of Thoracic Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, via G Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy

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Published Online:24 Jul 2019https://doi.org/10.2217/fon-2019-0055

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Abstract

Aim: A minority of patients gains advantage from immunotherapy (IO). Predictive variables of long-term benefit (LTB) are incompletely understood. Materials & methods: We retrospectively collected data about metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with IO from April 2013 to July 2017. We defined LTB to IO as complete response (CR), partial response (PR) or disease stability as best response and maintaining it for ≥12 months. Results: Thirty-five of the 147 patients had LTB. More LTB patients than controls showed CR/PR as first and best response to IO. Only CR/PR as best response to IO retained association to LTB at multivariate analyses. Conclusion: Objective response appears as a central factor for LTB from IO.

Keywords:

Papers of special note have been highlighted as: • of interest; •• of considerable interest

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Vol. 15, No. 23

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History

Received 5 February 2019

Accepted 20 June 2019

Published online 24 July 2019

Published in print August 2019

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Authors’ contributions

G Galli, C Proto and G Lo Russo's substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data for the work; drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; final approval of the version to be published; agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. MC Garassino, D Signorelli, M Imbimbo, R Ferrara, A Prelaj, A De Toma, M Ganzinelli, N Zilembo and F de Braud contributed in drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; final approval of the version to be published.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

C Proto declares travel accommodations and honoraria with MSD International GmbH, BMS and Eli Lilly. D Signorelli declares travel accommodations and honoraria with AstraZeneca, MSD International GmbH and BMS. F de Braud provided consultation, attended advisory boards and/or provided lectures for the following organizations, from whom received honoraria or education grants: Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Eli Lilly, F Hoffmann-La Roche, Ignyta, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Merck Serono, Novartis, and Pfizer. MC Garassino declares personal financial interests with the following organizations: AstraZeneca, MSD International GmbH, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim Italia S.p.A, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Ignyta, Incyte, Inivata, MedImmune, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Takeda; she also declares institutional financial interests with the following organizations: Eli Lilly, MSD, Pfizer (MISP), AstraZeneca, MSD International GmbH, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim Italia S.p.A, Celgene, Ignyta, Incyte, Inivata, MedImmune, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, Tiziana and Foundation Medicine; she has received research funding from the following organizations: AIRC, AIFA, Italian Moh and TRANSCAN. GL Russo declares travel accommodations and honoraria with AstraZeneca, MSD International GmbH, BMS and Eli Lilly. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

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