Factors Influencing the Efficacy of Anlotinib in the Treatment of Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background and Objective: Anlotinib as a third-line or beyond therapy can prolong the survival of patients with intermediate-stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). However, there are few reports on the factors related to anlotinib. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of anlotinib on advanced NSCLC and the factors affecting the efficacy. Materials and Methods: Two hundred patients with advanced NSCLC were randomly grouped into the control group (CNG) (N = 100) treated with cisplatin combined with Gemcitabine and the experimental group (EG) (N = 100) treated with anlotinib. The efficacy, erythrocytes index, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), tumour markers and adverse effects of the two groups were compared. Results: The EG had higher DCR than the CNG (p<0.05) and lower incidence of loss of appetite and gastrointestinal reactions than the CNG (p<0.05), The EG had lower FEIR, FEER, ATER, DTER, lower serum VEGFA, VEGFB, VEGFC, BFGF, HDGF levels and lower serum CYFRA21-1, CEA, CA125, CA199 levels than the CNG (p< 0.05), Multivariate results showed that age (60 years), tumour stage (stage IV), tumour diameter (3 cm), pre-treatment ECOG score (2), EGFR mutation (mutant type) and treatment timing (fourth line and above) were all possible risk factors affecting the efficacy of NSCLC (OR>1, p<0.05). Conclusion: Anlotinib can improve the efficacy of treatment on advanced NSCLC and the efficacy is affected by patient age, tumour stage, tumour diameter and EGFR mutation.