New Lung Cancer Therapy Shows Superior Efficacy
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Outperform Bevacizumab in Advanced NS-NSCLC
A recent study highlights a significant advancement in treating a common form of lung cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with chemotherapy demonstrated higher effectiveness compared to bevacizumab with chemotherapy in advanced driver geneโnegative nonsquamous nonโsmall cell lung cancer (NS-NSCLC).
Enhanced Treatment Outcomes
The retrospective analysis, published in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, compared the efficacy, safety, and survival outcomes of two treatment regimens. Patients receiving ICIs alongside chemotherapy showed a notably higher objective response rate at 59.2%, versus 36.5% for those treated with bevacizumab and chemotherapy.
Furthermore, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 11.13 months for the ICI group, compared to 7.37 months for the bevacizumab group. Overall survival (OS) also saw a slight improvement with ICIs, at a median of 20.87 months versus 18.42 months. The study also indicated that ICIs had a less pronounced impact on immune function.
Study Design and Patient Population
Data was collected from patients treated at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between October 2015 and January 2022. Eligible participants were adults aged 18 to 75, diagnosed with driver geneโnegative NS-NSCLC, and classified with stage IV cancer with an estimated survival of at least six months. Patients with severe comorbidities, certain pre-existing conditions, or those who were pregnant were excluded.
The 199 participants were divided into two groups, receiving either ICIs or bevacizumab in conjunction with pemetrexed and cisplatin chemotherapy every 21 days. Treatment efficacy was evaluated through serum tumor markers, adverse reactions, and survival status after two to three cycles.
Addressing Limitations
Researchers acknowledged certain limitations in their study. The retrospective and nonrandomized design could introduce selection bias. While differences in gender and age between groups nearly reached statistical significance, confounding variables were not adjusted for in a multivariate analysis. The study’s generalizability may also be affected by its single-center approach and relatively small sample size. Factors such as genetic background, tumor mutational burden, or PD-L1 expression could also influence ICI efficacy.
Despite these limitations, the findings suggest a promising therapeutic avenue. According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with NSCLC accounting for the vast majority of cases.
Future Directions
The authors concluded that ICIs represent a promising and safe first-line treatment strategy for advanced NS-NSCLC. They emphasized the need for further prospective, multicenter studies to validate these results and inform personalized treatment strategies.
References
- Chen W, Dai Q, Ye Z, Huang Y. Comparison of the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with chemotherapy versus bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy in advanced driver gene-negative non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective study. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2025;18:4279-4289. doi:10.2147/JMDH.S535853
- What is lung cancer? American Cancer Society. Updated January 29, 2024. Accessed August 6, 2025. cancer.org
