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Effectiveness of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the treatment of lung cancer: Brightness and challenge

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Abstract

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), especially inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis, have significantly affected the outcomes of patients with lung cancer. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab have been approved as PD-1 blocking antibodies, whereas atezolizumab, avelumab, and durvalumab are approved as PD-L1 blocking antibodies by the United States Food and Drug Administration. However, which patient may benefit the most and how to identify patients at risk of primary or acquired resistance has not been completely defined. Meanwhile, close attention has been paid to the ongoing international and domestic clinical trials in Chinese patients with lung cancer. This review aimed to provide deep insight into the effectiveness of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in patients with lung cancer, including the current settings for varied disease status, the predictive biomarkers, the resistance to ICIs, and the ongoing clinical trials in Chinese patients.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC1303300), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81672272), the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission Research Project (17431906103), the Shanghai Chest Hospital Project of Collaborative Innovation (YJXT20190105), and the Clinical Research Plan of Shanghai Hospital Development Center (SHDC) (16CR3005A).

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  1. Shanghai Lung Cancer Center, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 20030, China

    Ying Yang, Yongfeng Yu & Shun Lu

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  1. Ying Yang
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  2. Yongfeng Yu
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  3. Shun Lu
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Correspondence to Shun Lu.

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Yang, Y., Yu, Y. & Lu, S. Effectiveness of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the treatment of lung cancer: Brightness and challenge. Sci. China Life Sci. 63, 1499–1514 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-019-1622-5

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