Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients of different ages: a meta-analysis

Aim: We conducted an up-to-datemeta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in different age groups. Methods: The relevant RCTs in cancer patients receiving ICIs were searched and the systematic evaluation was performed. PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for studies published till January 2019. Results: A total of 27 RCTs included 17,546 patients were available for this meta-analysis. ICIs significantly improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in both of the younger (<65 years) and the older cancer patients (>= 65 years). No significantly prolonged OS and PFS was observed among patients older than 75 years. Conclusion: ICIs could not significantly improve OS and PFS compared with controls in cancer patients aged over 75 years.