Prioritizing Bevacizumab Plus Chemotherapy in PD-L1-Negative Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients

Strategic Insights -

Research conducted at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University has highlighted the effectiveness of bevacizumab plus chemotherapy as a first-line treatment option for programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) negative lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients without common gene-alterations. The study, published in Frontiers in Oncology, analyzed the clinical effectiveness and safety of standard treatment regimens, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy-chemotherapy combinations, and bevacizumab plus chemotherapy.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study included 159 PD-L1-negative LUAD patients without common gene-alterations, with a median follow-up time of 30.9 months.
  • The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6.67 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 15.83 months for the entire cohort.
  • Bevacizumab plus chemotherapy significantly improved OS compared to other treatment regimens, with a median OS of 21.6 months (95% CI 17.78-25.42).
  • Immunotherapy-chemotherapy combinations (group B) statistically outperformed chemotherapy alone (group A) in terms of PFS, with a median PFS of 5.6 months (95% CI 4.56-6.64).
  • Bevacizumab plus chemotherapy (group C) showed superior PFS compared to chemotherapy alone (group A), with a median PFS of 8.57 months (95% CI 7.47-9.66).
  • All adverse events (AEs) were manageable without fatal toxicities.

Statistics:

  • Median follow-up time: 30.9 months
  • Median PFS: 6.67 months (95% CI 5.83-7.51)
  • Median OS: 15.83 months (95% CI 13.46-18.21)
  • Hazard ratio (HR) for OS in group C vs B: 0.59 (95% CI 0.39-0.9), P= 0.01
  • Hazard ratio (HR) for OS in group C vs A: 0.47 (95% CI 0.3-0.71), P= 0.001
  • Median PFS for group B vs A: 5.6 months (95% CI 4.56-6.64) vs 5.17 months (95% CI 4.09-6.25)
  • Hazard ratio (HR) for PFS in group B vs A: 0.56 (95% CI 0.37-0.87), P= 0.009

Sources:

  • First-line treatment options for PD-L1-negative lung adenocarcinoma: a real-world analysis. Frontiers in Oncology, 2025,15.
  • Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University
  • Frontiers Media S.A. (publisher of Frontiers in Oncology)
  • NewsRx. Researchers from Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University Discuss Findings in Lung Cancer (First-line treatment options for PD-L1-negative lung adenocarcinoma: a real-world analysis). Immunotherapy Weekly. June 18, 2025; p 3277.