Immune-related adverse events of a PD-L1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy versus a PD-L1 inhibitor alone in first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis of randomized control trials.

In the first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the addition of chemotherapy to a programmed death 1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-(L)1) inhibitor is a more effective option. Adding chemotherapy might reduce immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Thus, this article assesses the rate of irAEs with a PD-(L)1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy (I+C) in comparison with a PD-(L)1 inhibitor alone (I) and evaluates the indirect relative risk (RR) with I+C versus I. The key finding is that in comparison with a PD-(L)1 inhibitor alone, a combination with chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of NSCLC decreases the rates of most irAEs, such as pneumonitis and endocrine and skin reactions, and the overall rate.