Association Between Smoking History and Overall Survival in Patients Receiving Pembrolizumab for First-Line Treatment of Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Source:

Popat S, Liu SV, Scheuer N, et al. Association Between Smoking History and Overall Survival in Patients Receiving Pembrolizumab for First-Line Treatment of Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(5):e2214046. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.14046

Key Points

Question  Is smoking status associated with overall survival among patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with first-line (1L) pembrolizumab monotherapy in a clinical setting?

Findings  This cohort study of 1166 patients with advanced NSCLC who received 1L pembrolizumab monotherapy in routine clinical care in the US found that, after adjusting for patient characteristics, patients who currently or formerly smoked were associated with having a significantly prolonged overall survival compared with those without any history of smoking.

Meaning  These findings suggest that patients with advanced NSCLC without a history of smoking may not derive the same overall survival benefit from treatment with 1L pembrolizumab as individuals who currently or formerly smoked.