The Association Between Toxicity and Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Older Adults with NSCLC

Aim: This cohort study evaluated the association between immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)-induced immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and mortality as well as ICI discontinuation among older adults with NSCLC.Methods: 2007-2019 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare linked database was used and survival analysis with time-varying exposure of irAEs was applied to estimate the associations.Results & conclusion: A total of 8,175 individuals were included, with 46.8% of whom developed an irAE. Cox regression models showed the occurrence of any irAEs was associated with increased risk of mortality (HR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.63-1.82) and treatment discontinuation (HR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.78-1.97). Some variability was observed in the effect on the two outcomes depending on the type of irAE.