DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjams.2024.v12i10.008

Pages: 1302-1308

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancers and presents a serious public health challenge due to an increasing incidence and poor prognosis, with only a 5-year survival rate of 5-10% in advanced disease stages. Objective: The aim of this work is an overview of the clinical efficacy and safety profile of ICIs in NSCLC patients, mainly focusing on the predictive role played by PD-L1 expression and tumor mutational burden as predictive biomarkers of treatment response. Methods: A total of 63 NSCLC patients treated with ICIs at a Department of Respiratory Medicine, Dhaka National Medical Institute Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh and National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital (NIDCH), and National Institute of Cancer Research & Hospital (NICRH), Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh from July 2023 to December 2023, were retrospectively analyzed. Demographical information, treatment regimens, and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed. Treatment responses were evaluated based on Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, and safety was assessed through monitoring adverse events. Results: The median age of the cohort was 62 years, with presentation in advanced stages, III and IV in 70%. An objective response rate of 42% was observed; median PFS was 8.5 months. Of note, patients with high PD-L1 expression of ≥ 50% had a response rate of 60%, whereas those with lower expression had a rate of 30%. It was observed in TMB analysis that high mutational burden is associated with a median PFS of 10 months versus 5 months in the case of low TMB. About 15% of patients developed adverse events, mostly immune-mediated. Conclusion: This study has exemplified the promising efficacy of ICIs in the improvement of treatment outcomes for patients with NSCLC and underlined critical roles that PD-L1 expression and TMB have played in guiding personalized treatment strategies. Although encouraging, these findings are retrospective and ..