Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Age in Cancer Patients

Abstract

<b>Aim:</b> To evaluate the impact of age on the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in cancer patients. <b>Materials & methods:</b> The primary outcomes included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Subgroup, meta-regression analysis and within-trial interaction HR were conducted. <b>Results:</b> A total of 34 studies containing 20,511 cancer patients were included. ICI could improve the OS and PFS in patient aged <65 and ≥65 years. Patients aged <75 years treated with ICI also had favorable OS and PFS compared with the control groups. <b>Conclusion:</b> ICI has comparable efficacy in cancer patients aged <65 and ≥65 years. Cancer patients aged ≥75 years need more attention in the future clinical trials.