Conclusions
Continuous decrease of plasma VEGF-A levels during treatment may be associated with the efficacy of chemo-PD1.
Methods
We included NSCLC patients treated with chemo-PD1. Plasma VEGF-A levels were measured at baseline (Pre) and days 7 (D7) and 14 (D14) after the initiation of chemo-PD1. Continuous VEGF-A decrease was determined by comparing Pre with the median value of maximum change rate of posttreatment VEGF-A as cutoff. Patients whose change rates of VEGF-A at both D7 and D14 were consistently lower than the cutoff value were classified into the VEGF-A decrease group, whereas those whose VEGF-A at D7 or D14 were higher than the cutoff level were classified into the VEGF-A no-decrease group. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS).
Results
A total of 32 patients were evaluated. The median Pre VEGF-A levels was 49 (range, 13-257). The median change rate of VEGF-A at D7 and D14 was -25.6% (range, -77.5-376.9) and -42.3% (range, -100-138.5) respectively. The cutoff value of posttreatment VEGF-A change rate was -9.3%. The PFS was significantly longer in the VEGF-A decrease group than that in the VEGF-A no-decrease group (median, not reached vs 2.4 months; p = 0.017). Conclusions: Continuous decrease of plasma VEGF-A levels during treatment may be associated with the efficacy of chemo-PD1.