Dr. Socinski on the Role of Immunotherapy in PD-L1–Negative Lung Cancer

Mark A. Socinski, MD, executive medical director of the AdventHealth Cancer Institute, discusses the role of immunotherapy in PD-L1–negative lung cancer.

Although PD-L1 expression is not considered to be a robust biomarker in lung cancer, it can be used to inform treatment selection with immunotherapy, says Socinski. However, tissue biopsies may not identify PD-L1 in every sample, even when the patient does express the marker, because of tumor heterogeneity, adds Socinski.

Data from phase 3 clinical trials have shown that patients with PD-L1–negative lung cancer can benefit from chemoimmunotherapy to the same degree as those with PD-L1–positive disease who receive immunotherapy alone, Socinski explains. Immunotherapy alone, however, does not appear to benefit the PD-L1–negative population, Socinski concludes.