Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients of different ages: a meta-analysis.

We conducted an up-to-date meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in different age groups. The relevant RCTs in cancer patients receiving ICIs were searched and the systematic evaluation was performed. PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for studies published till January 2019. A total of 27 RCTs included 17,546 patients were available for this meta-analysis. ICIs significantly improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in both of the younger (<65 years) and the older cancer patients (≥65 years). No significantly prolonged OS and PFS was observed among patients older than 75 years. ICIs could not significantly improve OS and PFS compared with controls in cancer patients aged over 75 years.