KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate the efficacy of neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy in locally advanced EC patients.
- Researchers noticed the promising potential for neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy in locally advanced EC, suggesting its consideration for further clinical exploration.
Clinical studies have highlighted the potential of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors in activating T cells and impeding cancer progression. Given this, investigating the efficacy of a PD-1 inhibitor combined with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced esophageal cancer (EC) is crucial.
In this study, Ting Qian and the team aimed to assess the effectiveness of the PD-1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy combination regimen in improving outcomes in EC patients.
Researchers performed an inclusive analysis by enrolling patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who underwent two cycles of preoperative treatment comprising toripalimab, paclitaxel, and cisplatin. Evaluation of efficacy ensued after completion of the two treatment cycles, with subsequent analysis and comparison of postoperative pathological staging. Surgery was conducted within 42 days from the commencement of the last chemotherapy cycle.
The neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy demonstrated notable efficacy, yielding a high pathologic complete response (pCR) rate of 29.0%, major pathological response rate of 41.9%, and objective response rate (ORR) of 80.6%. Statistical analysis indicated significant downstaging following neoadjuvant therapy (P < .05), coupled with manageable treatment-related adverse effects (TRAEs).
No significant correlation was observed between PD-L1 level and pCR (P = .365). Furthermore, all 31 (100%) patients achieved R0 resection during surgery. The one-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate stood at 87.1% (95% CI: 75.3%-98.9%), with corresponding one-year overall survival (OS) rates of 96.8% (95% CI: 79.8%-95.9%) and the two-year OS rate was 83.9% (95% CI: 71.6%-92.2%), respectively.
The study concluded that this combination holds promise as a potential neoadjuvant therapy regimen in this setting.
The study was funded by the scientific research project of Jiangsu Cancer Hospital; Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province and Science and Technology Department Social Development-Clinical Frontier Technology Project of Jiangsu Provincial.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38497137/
Qian T, Liu D, Cao G, et al. (2024). “Neoadjuvant PD-1 Plus Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.” Technol Cancer Res Treat. 2024 Jan-Dec;23:15330338241231610. doi: 10.1177/15330338241231610. PMID: 38497137; PMCID: PMC10946079.
