Comparison of first-line immunotherapy efficacy between advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma and pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma: A propensity score matching multicenter study
YuBin Zhou, Jian Huang, Jun Lan, Hao Hu, Zihao Yuan, Longyan Dong, Huiyin Deng, Li-ao Yue, Yi Xiao, Xiongwen Yang- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging
- Oncology
- General Medicine
ABSTRACT
Background:
Compared with other lung squamous cell carcinomas (LUSC), pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (pLELC) is closely associated with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infections with a unique molecular profile and immune microenvironment. This study was thus established to compare the treatment response and effectiveness of immunotherapy between pLELC and LUSC.
Material and Methods:
We enrolled 31 patients with pLELC and 116 with LUSC receiving first-line immunotherapy at three centers in China and compared the treatment response and effectiveness of immunotherapy. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance the differences in baseline data between the two groups.
Results:
Before PSM, progression-free survival and overall survival were longer in the pLELC group than in the LUSC group (progression-free survival: hazard ratio (HR), 1.67, 95% CI: 1.05–2.63,
Conclusion:
pLELC showed a clinically meaningful survival benefit compared with traditional LUSC following immunotherapy. Subsequent studies should consider the role of the EBV in the tumor immune microenvironment of pLELC.