Prognostic impact of chronological age on efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in non‐small‐cell lung cancer: Real‐world data from 86 173 patients

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become standard pharmacological therapies in patients with non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Because elderly patients with NSCLC are often excluded from clinical trials as a result of lower functional capacity or comorbidities, the prognostic impact of chronological age on the efficacy of ICIs is unclear. The National Cancer Database was queried for stage IV NSCLC patients between 2014 and 2015. Associations between ICI therapy and clinical characteristics were assessed using chi‐squared tests. Kaplan–Meier curves were compared using the log‐rank test. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify clinical characteristics predictive of overall survival (OS). This study included 24 136 patients with stage IV NSCLC aged ≥75 years and 62 037 patients with stage IV NSCLC aged <75 years. Patients aged ≥75 years treated with ICIs had significantly longer OS than those not treated with ICIs (hazard ratio [HR] 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58–0.64, p < 0.0001). The corresponding HR in patients aged <75 years was 0.67 (95% CI 0.65–0.68, p < 0.0001). Cox modeling confirmed the survival benefit of ICI therapy in patients aged ≥75 years (HR for patients not receiving ICIs 1.63 [95% CI: 1.55–1.71], p < 0.0001). The corresponding HR in patients aged <75 years was 1.47 (95% CI 1.43–1.51, p < 0.0001). Chronological age does not appear to negatively impact the survival benefit of ICI therapy in patients with stage IV NSCLC according to this large real‐world database analysis.