Do I need to continue taking durvalumab/Infinifer after 10 injections?

As an immunotherapy drug, the course of treatment for Durvalumab/Infinifer is not fixed in terms of "number of injections" but is based on a comprehensive assessment of the patient's condition, treatment stage, imaging results, and tolerance. Therefore, there is no unified answer to "whether to continue after 10 injections", and professional doctors need to make accurate judgments based on individual conditions.

In the consolidation treatment of unresectable Stage III non-small cell lung cancer , overseas guidelines and drug instructions generally recommend a maximum use of 12 months, or about 26 doses, but whether this length of time is reached depends on the patient's condition control. If the patient's imaging results after 10 injections of treatment show that the patient's condition is stable, there are no obvious immune-related adverse events, and the overall condition is good, then continued maintenance treatment can usually bring about more durable tumor control. This is the core logic of the "long-term immune maintenance" strategy. Because the characteristics of immunotherapy determine that the therapeutic effect is often gradually consolidated under continued stimulation, rather than being terminated immediately in the short term.

However, if a patient experiences serious adverse reactions during the use of 10 injections, such as pneumonia, abnormal liver function or severe endocrine problems, doctors may choose to suspend or even terminate the treatment early. Immune pneumonia is one of the most vigilant conditions. As long as shortness of breath or worsening cough occurs, immediate evaluation is often required. In some cases, treatment can be resumed and continued after treatment is suspended and hormonal intervention is used, but individual judgment is still required.

On the other hand, some patients show complete remission of lesions on imaging in the middle of treatment, and it is controversial whether to continue for a full year at this time. Clinical practices vary in different countries. Some doctors prefer to continue maintenance, believing that it can consolidate immune memory; other doctors believe that early discontinuation of medication is reasonable in the case of long-term complete remission. Therefore, "Whether to continue after complete remission" also needs to be comprehensively decided based on risk, age, underlying diseases and patient wishes.

Reference materials:https://www.imfinzi.com/