BACKGROUND: There is limited information about thymosin α1 (Tα1) as adjuvant immunomodulatory therapy, either used alone or combined with other treatments, in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adjuvant Tα1 treatment on long-term survival in margin-free (R0)-resected stage IA-IIIA NSCLC patients. METHODS: A total of 5746 patients with pathologic stage IA-IIIA NSCLC who underwent R0 resection were included. The patients were divided into the Tα1 group and the control group according to whether they received Tα1 or not. A propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce bias, resulting in 1027 pairs of patients. RESULTS: After PSM, the baseline clinicopathological characteristics were similar between the two groups. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were significantly higher in the Tα1 group compared with the control group. The multivariable analysis showed that Tα1 treatment was independently associated with an improved prognosis. A longer duration of Tα1 treatment was associated with improved OS and DFS. The subgroup analyses showed that Tα1 therapy could improve the DFS and/or OS in all subgroups of age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), smoking status, and pathological tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, especially for patients with non-squamous cell NSCLC and without targeted therapy. CONCLUSION Tα1 as adjuvant immunomodulatory therapy can significantly improve DFS and OS in patients with NSCLC after R0 resection, except for patients with squamous cell carcinoma and those receiving targeted therapy. The duration of Tα1 treatment is recommended to be >24 months.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/surgery* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Humans ; Immunomodulation ; Lung Neoplasms/surgery* ; Neoplasm Staging ; Propensity Score ; Retrospective Studies ; Thymalfasin

COVID-19 is known for its magical infectivity, fast transmission and high death toll based on the large number of infected people. From the perspective of the clinical manifestation, autopsy examination and pathophysiology, the essence of COVID-19 should be viewed as a sepsis induced by viral infection, and has the essential characteristics as sepsis induced by other pathogens. Therefore, in addition to etiological and supportive treatment, immunomodulatory therapy is also appropriate to severe COVID-19. Although there is still a lack of consensus on immunotherapy for sepsis so far, relatively rich experiences have been accumulated in the past decades, which will help us in the treatment of severe COVID-19. This article will elaborate immunotherapy of sepsis, though it may not be consistent.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; therapeutic use ; Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; complications ; Glycoproteins ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors ; therapeutic use ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; complications ; Sepsis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Thymalfasin ; therapeutic use