Assessment of efficacy, safety, and prognostic/predictive factors of nintedanib/docetaxel in advanced/recurrent non–small cell lung cancer post-immunotherapy and chemotherapy: A Galician Lung Cancer Group study

Introduction

Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who progress after chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) need effective second-line treatments. The combination of nintedanib and docetaxel has shown promise, particularly post-ICI progression. This study evaluates the efficacy, safety, and prognostic factors of this regimen in a cohort from the Galician Lung Cancer Group.

Materials and Methods

This observational, multicenter, retrospective study included 45 patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC who had progressed after at least one line of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. All received nintedanib and docetaxel. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and adverse events were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

Results

The median age was 61 years, with 69 % male. The disease control rate was 59.1 % in the second line and 37 % in the third line. Median OS was 20 months (95 % CI: 15–25). Subgroup analysis showed that elevated LDH levels (>246 UI/L) were associated with improved OS (HR = 0.38; 95 % CI: 0.18–0.77). High PD-L1 expression (≥50 %) was linked to longer survival (HR: 0.48; 95 % CI: 0.18– 1.25), while active smoking correlated with worse outcomes (HR: 1.06; 95 % CI: 0.40–2.78). Grade ≥3 toxicities included diarrhea (6.7 %), hematologic toxicity (13.3 %), hepatic toxicity (4.5 %), and vomiting (2.2 %).

Conclusions

Nintedanib and docetaxel demonstrated meaningful efficacy and an acceptable safety profile in advanced NSCLC after immunotherapy and chemotherapy failure. LDH, PD-L1, and smoking status emerged as important prognostic factors, warranting further prospective studies.