Lay summary
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in New Zealand, with Māori suffering the highest incidence and death rate. Immunotherapy significantly improves survival in advanced lung cancer and was funded to treat New Zealanders in April 2023. PDL1 is a test on cancer tissue that can predict how well immunotherapy works.
This mixed-methods observational study will meet three objectives:
1. Describe the experience of Māori receiving immunotherapy for NSCLC in the New Zealand public health system.
2. Map the clinical and PDL1 profile in Māori with advanced NSCLC referred to receive immunotherapy.
3: Measure survival for Māori receiving first-line immunotherapy for advanced NSCLC.
This new biomedical, clinical and health system-level knowledge will optimise the benefits of immunotherapy for Māori with advanced lung cancer to reduce further inequities.