[Sportschosun Reporter Jang Jong-ho] A study has found that in patients with advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, the long-term benefits of immunotherapy may continue even after treatment is stopped following two years of administration. Immunotherapy has significantly improved survival rates for patients with advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, but in most countries, insurance coverage is limited to a maximum of two years. As a result, whether the cancer can remain stable without recurrence after treatment ends at two years has been a major concern for both patients and medical staff, yet evidence to support this had been lacking.
There was also not enough information on whether patients who responded well to immunotherapy and stayed on treatment for two years would develop new side effects or diseases from long-term use.
To address this, a research team led by Professors Lee Kyung-min and Kang Eun-ju of Hemato-Oncology at Korea University Guro Hospital conducted a study using data from HIRA to examine the long-term prognosis and safety of patients who had received immunotherapy for two years after treatment ended.
The team analyzed 10,275 patients with advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer who began immunotherapy as a second-line or later treatment after platinum-based chemotherapy from 2017 to 2022. Among them, 786 patients who had received immunotherapy for at least two years were classified as the treatment-completion group, while those who stopped earlier were classified as the treatment-discontinuation group. The researchers then compared and analyzed survival outcomes and the incidence of new diseases.
The results showed that patients who completed two years of immunotherapy remained stable for about two years and nine months after treatment ended, with no need for additional cancer treatment during that period (median 32.8 months). More than half of the treatment-completion group was still alive by the end of the study, confirming a long-term survival benefit.
There were also no differences in treatment outcomes depending on the type of immunotherapy used, including pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and atezolizumab. This suggests that regardless of the drug used, patients who complete two years of treatment can expect similar long-term outcomes.
Safety with long-term use was also confirmed. After adjusting for the observation period, the treatment-completion group showed a lower or similar risk of major diseases such as congestive heart failure (CHF), Type 2 diabetes (T2D), and cerebrovascular disease compared with the treatment-discontinuation group.
However, because these conditions can still develop long after treatment ends, ongoing health management and follow-up are needed for long-term survivors.
Professor Lee said, "This is the first nationwide study in Asia to analyze long-term treatment outcomes and safety after completing two years of immunotherapy." He added, "Using real-world clinical data, we provided evidence supporting the effectiveness and safety of the two-year immunotherapy strategy, and we expect this will help establish systematic management plans for long-term survivors."
The study was a collaborative effort by Professors Lee Kyung-min and Kang Eun-ju of Hemato-Oncology, with data analysis support from Research Professor Kang Min-woong of the Biomedical Research Institute through the hospital's medical data platform. The findings were published in the international journal Lung Cancer under the title, "Analysis of treatment-free survival after two years of immunotherapy in patients with advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer using HIRA data."
Reporter Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
