Fig. 5

EV PD-L1 increase as a predictive biomarker for PFS and OS. (A) Patients with an increasing EV PD-L1 (blue) showed a trend to shorter PFS (p = 0.097) in the ICIs cohort and demonstrated shorter PFS in the Pembrolizumab + Docetaxel treated group (p = 0.020). Still, no association with PFS was observed in the Docetaxel group (p = 0.784) (C). (D) Longer OS was depicted in patients with EV PD-L1 increase (blue) in the ICIs cohort (p = 0.031) and the Pembrolizumab + Docetaxel group (p = 0.038) (E) while not in the Docetaxel control group (p = 0.202) (F) (log‐rank tests). Number of patients at risk of the event is shown every 6 months and the percentage of free of event (progression or death) patients is shown at 12 and 24 months. (G) In the 57 patients undergoing ICIs, an EV PD-L1 increase was observed in those with shorter PFS and OS while tissue PD-L1 was not (tissue PD-L1 TPS, dark red =  > 50%, red = 1–49%, pink < 1%, white = unknown; arrow = ongoing treatment; black & white squares bar = OS after treatment discontinuation; x = exitus (death); orange circles = progressive disease; filled dark blue rectangles = EV PD-L1 increase