SynthesisESMO open2022
The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in elderly patients: a meta-analysis and meta-regression.
Synthesis in ESMO open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Age-Related Survival Disparities in Advanced Renal Carcinoma in the Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Era using the SEER Database and Meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Real-world safety and effectiveness of nivolumab in patients with cancer of unknown primary: results from a nationwide post-marketing surveillance in Japan.International journal of clinical oncology · 2026Observational
- Review
- Article
- Renal Cell Carcinoma in the Geriatric Population: Toward a Frailty-Adapted Therapeutic Paradigm.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors in genitourinary cancers with advanced chronic kidney disease.Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII · 2026Article
- The Role of Gut Microbiota in the Association between Air Pollution and Cognitive Function in Older Adults.Environmental health perspectives · 2026Article
- Article
- Review
- Aging is associated with the outcomes of immune checkpoint blockade in renal cell carcinoma.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2026Article
- Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy for Elderly Patients with Locally Advanced Resectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.Annals of surgical oncology · 2026Article
- Of Barriers and Loops-How Evolution Limits Most Cancer Risks to Older Ages.Cancer discovery · 2026Review
- Age and sex: dual drivers remodeling the anti-tumor immune microenvironment and shaping personalized immuno-oncology.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Immunosenescence shapes the tumor immune microenvironment and limits PD-1/PD-L1 blockade efficacy in older patients with cancer.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Global research trends of immunosenescence and immunotherapy: A bibliometric study.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2025Review
- Ageing, immune fitness and cancer.Nature reviews. Cancer · 2025Review
- Age-Related Changes in Myeloid Cells and Their Impact on Subcutaneous Melanoma Growth in Mice.Aging and cancer · 2025Article
- Age-stratified circulating immune signatures reveal non-invasive biomarkers for colorectal cancer detection.Immunity & ageing : I & A · 2025Article
- Aging and immunity: the age-old tango.Genes & development · 2025Review
- Sustained immune youth risks autoimmune disease in the aging host.Nature aging · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has improved patient survival in advanced cancers; however, the efficacy of ICIs in elderly patients is still elusive. This study assessed the efficacy of ICIs in elderly patients with advanced cancer in terms of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). MATERIALS AND
methodsWe carried out a systematic review and identified 30 head-to-head phase II/III randomized controlled trials that compared immunotherapy with the standard of care in advanced solid tumor patients. The data on patients younger or over 65 years of age were indexed from PubMed-Medline, Embase, and Scopus and obtained for meta-analysis. The subgroup analyses were stratified by primary tumor type, line of treatment, or type of immunotherapy, and a meta-regression analysis was carried out after adjusting for all other variables.
resultsThe study included 17 476 patients, comprising 58% (10 119) younger (<65 years old) and 42% (7357) elderly (≥65 years old) patients. The hazard ratio (HR) for OS was 0.77 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70-0.85] and 0.77 (95% CI 0.70-0.85) in the younger and elderly groups, respectively, suggesting similar efficacies of ICIs in these two age groups. The subgroup analyses revealed no significant relationship between age and treatment outcomes, except for the PFS benefit in younger patients with melanoma than in elderly patients (HR 0.44 in younger patients versus 0.65 in elderly patients, P = 0.04). These results were further supported by meta-regression analysis, which showed no statistically significant difference in OS (P = 0.954) and PFS (P = 0.555) between the two age groups.
conclusionsThe findings suggest that age-associated impairments of the immune system did not affect the efficacy of ICIs in elderly patients compared to younger patients. Therefore, the choice of ICIs for elderly patients can be considered, regardless of chronological age.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.