Subgroup analysis of tumor pathology revealed that compared with chemotherapy, PD-L1 inhibitors were effective in improving the OS of both advanced NSCLC patients with squamous cell carcinoma (HR 0.71, 95%CI 0.60–0.84, P < .001) and of those without squamous cell carcinoma (HR 0.76, 95%CI 0.68–0.86, P < .001) (Fig. 6). This evidence concerns the gene CD274 and neoplasm.