Abstract:
Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of sintilimab combined with the SOX regimen for adjuvant treatment of stage Ⅲ gastric cancer after D2 radical resection and to provide a reference for individualized clinical treatment.
Methods The clinical data of 245 patients with stage III gastric cancer who underwent D2 radical resection at the 940th Hospital of the Joint Support Force of the People's Liberation Army from June 2019 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The 180 patients who received only the SOX regimen were designated the control group, and the 65 patients who received sintilimab combined with the SOX regimen were designated the experimental group. The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate, overall survival (OS) rate, and adverse reactions among the two groups and different subgroups (HER-2 positive, dMMR, CPS ≥5) were compared.
Results The 3-year DFS (81.5% vs. 59.4%) and OS (84.6% vs. 70.6%) rates in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (both P<0.05). Group analysis showed that in patients with CPS ≥5, the 3-year DFS (91.5% vs. 67.0%) and OS (95.7% vs. 71.6%) rates within the experimental group were significantly better than those in the control group (both P<0.05). Intra-group analysis within the experimental group showed that the 3-year DFS rate (91.5% vs. 55.6%) and OS rate (95.7% vs. 55.6%) of patients with CPS ≥5 were significantly better than those of patients with CPS <5 (both P<0.05). The overall and grade ≥3 incidences of liver and kidney function damage, thyroid dysfunction, colitis, pneumonia, and rash in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05), while the differences in other adverse reactions, including leukopenia were not statistically significant (all P>0.05).
Conclusions Sintilimab combined with the SOX regimen can significantly improve 3-year DFS and OS rates in patients with stage Ⅲ gastric cancer after surgery, especially in the CPS ≥5 subgroup, with significant benefits and controllable safety.