Immune-Related Adverse Events, Biomarkers of Systemic Inflammation, and Survival Outcomes in Patients Receiving Pembrolizumab for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Pembrolizumab monotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) expressing PD-L1 ≥ 50% doubles five-year survival rates compared to chemotherapy. However, immune-related adverse events (irAEs) can cause severe, long-term toxicity necessitating high-dose steroids and/or treatment cessation. Interestingly, patients experiencing irAEs demonstrate better survival outcomes.