Effect of Diabetes Mellitus on Outcomes and Response Rate in Patients With Advanced NSCLC on Immunotherapy

Lung cancer continues to be the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide for both males and females despite the identification of clinically-actionable driver mutations in genomic subgroups of patients. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common histological diagnosis for 85% of lung cancer patients. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has significantly altered the prognosis for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) as it has been shown to have distinct and long-lasting impacts on survival in first and second line treatment. As a result, immunotherapy has emerged as the backbone of care for people with NSCLC. Although some patients benefit considerably from ICI, not all patients do. A comprehensive research effort exists to identify and characterize variables that could predict or boost the response to ICI.

At the same time, diabetes mellitus (DM) is becoming more prevalent globally and lung cancer patients frequently suffer from a variety of comorbidities, including (DM). However, its effect on treatment outcomes is still unclear, particularly in the era of immunotherapy.