Safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab for advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer: before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic changed diagnostic and treatment pathways in oncology. We compared the safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab amongst advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥ 50% before and during the pandemic.

Methods

Advanced NSCLC patients initiating pembrolizumab between June 2015 and December 2019 ("pre-pandemic cohort") and between March 2020 and March 2021 ("pandemic cohort") at BC Cancer were identified retrospectively. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated risk factors for immune-related adverse events (irAE) ≥ grade 3 at the 6 week, 3 month, and 6 month landmarks. Cox regression models of overall survival (OS) were constructed.

Results

The study population comprised 417 patients in the

SUBMITTER: Ksienski D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9281358 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature