Sex Differences in Immunotherapy Outcomes for Advanced Kidney Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): Ishihara Hiroki, Fukuda Hironori, Mizoguchi Yukihiro, Yamashita Makiko, Aoki Kazunori, Ishiyama Ryo, Ikeda Takashi, Nemoto Yuki, Shimmura Hiroaki, Hashimoto Yasunobu, Yoshida Kazuhiko, Hirai Toshihito, Iizuka Junpei, Tokita Daisuke, Kondo Tsunenori, Nagashima Yoji, Takagi Toshio
Primary Institution: Tokyo Women’s Medical University
Hypothesis
Do sex differences affect the outcomes of immunotherapy in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma?
Conclusion
Female patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma have shorter progression-free survival when treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors compared to male patients.
Supporting Evidence
- Female patients had shorter progression-free survival in the IO-IO and nivolumab monotherapy groups.
- Sex was an independent factor for shorter progression-free survival after adjusting for covariates.
- Some tumor-infiltrating immune cell populations, including CD8+ T cells, decreased more in female patients.
Takeaway
This study found that girls and boys respond differently to cancer treatments, with girls having a harder time when treated with certain medicines.
Methodology
The study analyzed data from 563 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma who received various systemic therapies, comparing progression-free survival and tumor-infiltrating immune cell profiles between sexes.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias due to the retrospective nature of the study and heterogeneity in patient characteristics.
Limitations
The study is retrospective, has a small sample size, and may have selection bias; also, there are undetected confounding factors that could affect outcomes.
Participant Demographics
The study included 563 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, with no significant differences in age or histopathology between sexes in most treatment groups.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=0.0227 for IO-IO, p=0.0478 for nivolumab monotherapy, p=0.0340 for multivariate analysis in IO-IO, p=0.0322 for nivolumab monotherapy.
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 1.04–2.98 for IO-IO, 95% CI: 1.05—2.80 for nivolumab monotherapy.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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