Fig. 1

Study design. a. Of a total of 52 patients screened for study eligibility, five did not meet the inclusion criteria, two declined to participate and one was mistakenly enrolled. A total of 44 enrolled patients accepted at least one cycle of sintilimab plus chemotherapy and were assessed for safety, while 43 patients were evaluable for radiographic response assessment and efficacy. b. Design of the sample collection for biomarker research. Tumor samples and blood were collected at baseline. Validation of findings on the real-world cohort 1 (n = 24) and real-world cohort 2 (n = 45)