Maximum Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Occurs in Esophageal Cancer Patients With a Low Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Good Performance Status Prior to Treatment

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) play an important role in the treatment of esophageal cancer (EC). However, few patients achieve long-term survival, and some patients develop serious immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Reliable predictive biomarkers of efficacy and safety need to be established in order to improve efficacy. We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of nivolumab monotherapy on EC at Showa University, Department of Medicine, to identify biomarkers and characteristics of patients who benefit from ICI monotherapy.