First-line Platinum-based Chemotherapy and Survival Outcomes in Locally Advanced or Metastatic Pulmonary Lymphoepithelioma-like Carcinoma

Abstract Objectives Pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) is a rare subtype of primary lung cancer. Due to the lack of prospective studies, the optimal first-line chemotherapy regimens and survival outcomes remain unclear. Materials and Methods This real-world, retrospective study enrolled consecutive patients with unresectable pulmonary LELC. The survival outcomes, prognosis, and comparative efficacy of different chemotherapy regimens were investigated. Results In total, 127 patients were included in the analyses. The first-line chemotherapy regimens included gemcitabine plus platinum (GP, n = 19 [15.0%]), taxanes plus platinum (TP, n = 70 [55.1%]) and pemetrexed plus platinum (AP, n = 38 [30.0%]). 25 (19.7%) patients underwent salvage thoracic radiotherapy. 60 (47.2%) patients had detectable baseline EBV DNA. For the entire cohort, objective response was obtained in 41 patients (32.3%). Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 7.7 months (95% CI, 6.6-8.8) and 36.7 months (95% CI, 30.9-42.5), respectively. Among the three chemotherapy regimens, GP achieved the highest response rate (GP, 63.2% vs. TP, 30.0% vs. AP, 21.1%; p = 0.005). Median PFS in the GP group (8.8 months) was also significantly longer than that in the TP group (7.9 months) and AP group (6.4 months) (p =  0.031). In the multivariate model, cycles of first-line chemotherapy (p Conclusion Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy and salvage thoracic radiotherapy are active in pulmonary LELC. These data provide added evidence for the similarity between pulmonary LELC and nasopharyngeal carcinoma in endemic area. Randomized controlled studies are needed to further define the standard-of-care for patients with advanced pulmonary LELC.