For older patients with advanced NSCLC, treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may be a safe and effective option, according to a study published in Respiratory Investigation. Researchers conducted a retrospective evaluation to determine the efficacy and safety of ICIs in patients aged 85 and older with advanced NSCLC. Of 531 patients receiving ICIs, 16 were aged 85 and older. They observed that the objective response rate, median progression-free survival, and median survival time were 25% (95% CI, 1-49), 2.8 months (95% CI, 1.7-4.5), and not reached (95% CI, 4.7-not reached), respectively. A long lasting effect of ICIs was also observed even in patients aged 85 and older, and the 4-year overall survival rate was 60.8% (95% CI, 29.3-81.7). The rate of immune-related and grade 3 or higher immune-related adverse events was 32% and 6%, respectively. “ICI monotherapy is considered an efficacious and tolerable treatment for patients with NSCLC aged 85 and older,” the study authors wrote.
