Retreatment with anti‐PD‐1 antibody in non‐small cell lung cancer patients previously treated with anti‐PD‐L1 antibody

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of retreatment with anti‐programmed death 1 (anti‐PD‐1) antibodies in patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after prior treatment with anti‐programmed death‐ligand 1 (anti‐PD‐L1) antibodies. METHODS: Data (N = 15) on patients' characteristics, number of cycles, regimens, their best response and immune‐related adverse events (irAEs) were recorded retrospectively. RESULTS: NSCLC was initially treated with anti‐PD‐L1 antibody atezolizumab (N = 14) or durvalumab (N = 1). No patients had a high (≥50%) tumor expression of PD‐L1. The median cycles for atezolizumab were five (range 1–15), and median progression‐free survival was 2.8 and 6.0 months for atezolizumab and durvalumab, respectively. Five (33.3%) and nine (60.0%) patients showed stable and progressive disease as their best response, respectively. No differences in irAEs between anti‐PD‐L1 and anti‐PD‐1 antibodies occurred. CONCLUSION: Patients treated with anti‐PD‐L1 antibodies for NSCLC received limited benefits from retreatment with anti‐PD‐1 antibodies.