Clinical benefit of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for poor performance status patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The benefit of programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death protein ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibitors remains unclear in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with poor performance status (PS). In the current multi-centre retrospective cohort study, advanced or recurrent NSCLC patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors were enrolled. Of the 219 patients enrolled, 44 had PS 2–4. The objective response rate (ORR) of patients with PS 2–4 in 1st line was 33%. Among 1st line group, median progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with PS 2 was significantly longer compared to that in patients with PS 3–4 (15.3 months vs. 0.9 months, P = 0.039, Log-rank test). Among previously treated patients, the ORR of patients with PS 2–4 was only 4%, and PFS and overall survival was poor even in patients with PS 2. PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors can be an option for PS 2 NSCLC patients in 1st line setting.