Patients who are progression-free on immunotherapy for advanced or metastatic lung cancer can safely discontinue therapy after two years, US oncologists report.

Despite doctors’ “substantial hesitation” to cease immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, the researchers found no overall survival benefit from indefinite treatment.

The University of Pennsylvania-led team also said patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who ceased therapy may benefit from rechallenge if disease progression occurred.

“These findings provide reassurance that for patients with advanced NSCLC whose disease is still responding to ICI therapy at two years, stopping therapy and monitoring rather than continuing immunotherapy indefinitely is a reasonable strategy with sustained clinical benefit,” they wrote.