Aim: This prospective study aimed to envisage the putative prognostic significance of clinical and hematologic parameters in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with nivolumab.
Materials & methods: Correlations of several parameters with disease control and survival outcomes were provided.
Results: A total of 54 patients were included. An ECOG performance status 0-1, the lack of liver and bone metastases and a timeframe from the last systemic treatment ≥4 months correlated with better disease control. The same was observed for baseline low levels of white blood cells and neutrophils, for high levels of NK cells and a neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio <4. The mentioned parameters were also associated with longer overall survival.
Conclusion: Nivolumab efficacy in non-small-cell lung cancer patients is influenced by clinicopathological parameters and specific leucocyte subsets.
Keywords: anticancer immunotherapy; hematological parameters; immune checkpoint inhibitors; nivolumab; non-small-cell lung cancer; prognostic factors.