Oral probiotics supplements participating in the ICIs included treatment for the advanced lung cancer: a prospective real-world study

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of oral probiotic supplements in patients undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for the treatment of advanced lung cancer. Methods: : This prospective real-world study enrolled patients with advanced lung cancer who were receiving ICIs as part of their treatment. The patients were divided into two groups: Group OPS received oral probiotic supplements along with ICIs, while Group C did not. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary outcome measure was the objective response rate (ORR). Results: : A total of 253 patients were included in the study, with 71 patients in Group OPS and 182 patients in the control group (Group C). No significant differences were observed in the median PFS between the two groups for all patients. However, for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients, the median PFS was significantly better in the Group OPS compared to the Group C (11.1 months vs 7.0 months, p =0.049). No significant differences were observed in median PFS for the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cohort between the two groups, but a trend towards better median PFS in Group OPS was noticed (16.5 months vs. 12.3 months, p =0.56). The overall response rate (ORR) for the entire cohort was 58.0%. Conclusion: Oral probiotics supplements in combination with ICIs included regimen may improve the outcome in patients with advanced SCLC. The above points should be proved by further study.