RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PD-L1 EXPRESSION AND SMOKING HISTORY AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IMMUNOTHERAPY IN NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Authors:

Abstract:

Non-small cell lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and the clinical efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors varies considerably among patients. Reliable predictive factors for immunotherapy response are still insufficiently defined, particularly regarding the combined influence of tumor PD-L1 expression and smoking history. This study included 102 patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy. PD-L1 expression, smoking burden, and clinical outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. Higher smoking intensity was associated with significantly improved progression-free survival and overall survival, with median overall survival increasing from 9.7 to 26.3 months across smoking strata. A significant interaction between high PD-L1 expression and heavy smoking was observed, demonstrating enhanced treatment response only in patients with substantial tobacco exposure. Smoking and PD-L1 expression were identified as independent favorable prognostic factors, suggesting their combined utility for refining immunotherapy stratification strategies in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Keywords:

non-small cell lung cancer PD-L1 smoking history immunotherapy immune checkpoint inhibitors survival outcomes

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Publication:

«World of Medicine and Biology» Vol. 22 No. 96 (2026) , с. 40-45
УДК 616.24-006.6-085:615.37:616-097

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26724/2079-8334-2026-2-96-40-45