Table 1.
Comparison of clinical data between refractory and non-refractory patients
| Characteristic | non-refractory patients (N = 22) | Refractory patients (n = 24) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (female), n (%) | 6 (27.3) | 14 (58.3) | 0.034 |
| Age (years), median (range) | 66.8 (36–89) | 67.0 (40–89) | 0.94 |
| Comorbidity Score Charlson (range) | 10.2 (7–14) | 10.2 (7–15) | 0.97 |
| ECOG PS, n (%) | |||
| 0–1 | 19 (86.3) | 13 (54.1) | 0.017 |
| 2 | 3 (13.7) | 11 (45.9) | |
| Past or current smoker, n (%) | 21 (95.5) | 20 (83.3) | 0.35 |
| Tobacco (PY) | 42 | 46 | 0.61 |
| Albumin, g/l (mean) | 35.7 | 31.6 | 0.031 |
| CRP, mg/l (mean) | 45.1 | 52.1 | 0.73 |
| Neutrophils (G/l) (mean) | 6.52 | 7.57 | 0.25 |
| Lymphocytes (G/l) (mean) | 1.49 | 1.67 | 0.34 |
| Weight loss (% from baseline) (mean) | -5.9 | -7.5 | 0.53 |
| Pretreatment Proton pump inhibitor use, n (%) | 9 (40.9) | 10 (41.7) | 0.95 |
| Pretreatment Steroids, n (%)* | 2 (9) | 8 (33) | 0.074 |
| Antibiotics within 2 months before pembrolizumab, n (%) | 8 (36.3) | 11 (50.0) | 0.36 |
| Brain metastases, n (%) | 3 (13.6) | 2 (8.3) | 0.66 |
| Liver Metastases, n (%) | 3 (13.6) | 4 (16.7) | 1.00 |
*Maximum dose ≤ 10 mg per day for all patients