Multicenter retrospective study of impact of concomitant PPI use on efficacy of pembrolizumab vs ICI plus chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC

Pembrolizumab monotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) plus chemotherapy both have been approved as first-line treatments for NSCLC with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) of 50% or more. A multicenter retrospective study in Japan investigated the impact of concomitant use of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) on these two treatments for advanced NSCLC with TPS 50% or more. Both PFS and OSwere significantly longer with ICI plus chemotherapy than with pembrolizumab monotherapy among patients using concomitant PPI, but not among patients not using PPI. The authors conclude that PPI use could be an important clinical factor in treatment decision-making for patients with advanced NSCLC with a PD-L1 TPS of 50% or more.