Immunotherapy in nonsmall cell lung cancer

免疫治療用於非小細胞肺癌

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and in Taiwan. In Taiwan, more than 60% patients with lung cancer at diagnosis is far advanced or metastatic stage and not curable. The 5-year survival of patients with metastatic stage of lung cancer is less than 5%. Before 2012, the standard of care of metastatic lung cancer is palliative systemic therapy with chemotherapy or targeted therapy for specific activating driver mutations. In recent years, immunotherapy, especially check point inhibitors targeting PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4, has emerged as treatment for advanced lung cancer and the FDA also approved these drugs for lung cancer treatment in specific settings. We will review the immunotherapeutic mechanism, clinical application, biomarkers selection, and resistances of immunotherapy for lung cancer, especially check point inhibitors

肺癌是台灣及世界各國的癌症中之頭號殺手。在台灣，約百分之60的肺癌病人，在診斷時即已屬於末期，無法治癒。轉移性的肺癌，其五年的存活率小於5％。在2012年之前，此種癌症之標準療法包括化療、標靶治療或保守性療法。近年來，免疫療法異軍突起。在美國已被FDA批准用於治療末期肺癌。本演講將介紹免疫療法的機轉，臨床運用及生物標記之選擇。