Continuation of same programmed death-1 inhibitor regime beyond progression is a novel option for advanced gastric cancer.

Abstract

Background: Gastric cancer is a significant global malignancy with poor prognosis. Although the emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) prolonged the duration of survival, resistance and progression are inevitable. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors in immunotherapy beyond progression (IBP).

Method: We divided the advanced gastric cancer patients who received two lines immunotherapy into same regimen group (with same PD-1 inhibitor regime after IBP) and different regimen group (with different PD-1 inhibitor regime after IBP). Statistical analysis conducted to compare patient characteristics and evaluate survival differences between groups.

Result: The clinical outcome analysis showed that the same PD-1 inhibitor regime seemed to exhibit a higher disease control rate (DCR) (51.8% vs. 29.2%, P = 0.062), significantly prolonged progression-free survival 2 (PFS2) (162 vs. 75 days, P = 0.001) and overall survival (OS) (312 vs. 166 days, P = 0.022) when compared with those of cross line. In the multivariate analysis, when using different regimen group as reference, the same regimen group was found to be independently associated with improved PFS2 [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.467, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.267-0.816, P = 0.008] and OS (HR = 0.508, 95%CI: 0.278-0.927, P = 0.027).

Conclusion: Continuation of the same type of PD-1 inhibitor regime in IBP shows clinical benefits and represents a promising therapeutic approach.