Five‐year safety and efficacy data from a phase Ib study of nivolumab and chemotherapy in advanced non‐small‐cell lung cancer

Combination antiprogrammed death 1/programmed death‐ligand 1 Ab and platinum‐based chemotherapy is standard first‐line treatment for advanced non‐small‐cell lung cancer without targetable oncogene alterations. We describe the long‐term safety and efficacy data from a previously reported phase Ib study of nivolumab and chemotherapy. Japanese patients with non‐small‐cell lung cancer were assigned to a treatment arm based on histology and treatment history. Nivolumab (10 mg/kg, i.v.) and chemotherapy (4 arms) were given every 3 weeks: arm A, 4 cycles of cisplatin and gemcitabine (first‐line); arm B, 4 cycles of cisplatin and pemetrexed followed by pemetrexed maintenance therapy (first‐line); arm C, 4‐6 cycles of carboplatin, paclitaxel, and bevacizumab followed by bevacizumab (first‐line); and arm D, docetaxel (second‐ or third‐line). Study treatments were continued every 3 weeks as maintenance therapy until disease progression. Minimum follow‐up period was 57.9 months. Median progression‐free survival (median [range, plus sign indicates censored data]) was 6.3 (0.7+‐47.8), 11.8 (1.4‐65.1+), 40.7 (5.3‐60.8+), and 3.2 (1.9‐10.9) months, and 5‐year progression‐free survival was observed in 0/6, 1/6, 1/6, and 0/6 patients in arms A, B, C, and D, respectively. Median overall survival was 13.2 (11.0‐55.4), 28.5 (14.6‐66.2+), not reached (24.2‐67.4+), and 12.5 (9.8‐16.9) months; the number of patients surviving 5 years were 0/6, 1/6, 4/6, and 0/6 in arms A, B, C, and D, respectively. No unexpected severe adverse events or treatment‐related deaths occurred. Nivolumab and platinum‐based chemotherapy combinations showed long‐term tolerability. A moderate proportion of patients in arm C showed 5‐year progression‐free and overall survival.