First-line Chemotherapy Response Is Associated With Clinical Outcome During Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment in Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma: A Real World Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have become important tools for the treatment of advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC). However, the clinical strategy using ICIs and chemotherapy is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of clinical parameters in aUC patients with ICI treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed aUC patients who received atezolizumab and pembrolizumab between January 2015 and October 2020. The associations between baseline demographics and clinical outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS

Of the 74 included patients, the median age was 67 years. Among them, 53 patients received atezolizumab and 21 received pembrolizumab. There were 50 patients receiving first line ICIs therapy and 24 receiving second line monotherapy. Fifty-two (83.87%, 52/62) received cisplatin among all chemotherapy patients. The median progression free survival was 10.94 months, and the overall survival was 28.44 months. Poor chemotherapy response or no chemotherapy, liver metastases, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status and higher neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were associated with higher risk of disease progression (HR=5.70, 95% CI=2.04-15.90, p=0.001; HR=6.08, 95% CI=1.79-20.57, p=0.004; HR=5.40, 95% CI=1.76-16.57, p=0.003; HR=6.08, 95% CI=2.56-14.44, p<0.001 and HR=1.02, 95% CI=1.01-1.03, p=0.002, respectively). Liver metastases and WBC before ICI were associated with increased risk of death (HR=11.95, 95% CI=3.22-44.34, p<0.001; HR=1.0001, 95%=CI=1.00001-1.00002, p=0.036 respectively) while ICI response was associated with decreased death (HR=0.22, 95%CI=0.08-0.62, p=0.004). Chemotherapy response was associated with better ICI treatment response (OR=6.52, 95% CI=1.45-29.24, p=0.014) while lymph node metastases and poor ECOG status were associated with poor ICI response (OR=0.31, 95% CI=0.10-0.94, p=0.038; OR=0.32, 95% CI=0.11-0.95, p=0.040).

CONCLUSION

Our real-world data show a predictive role of first-line chemotherapy response to ICI treatment efficacy in aUC patients as well as other prognostic factors, such as ECOG status, serum WBC or NLR and liver metastases.