Dr. Belani on Impact of Nivolumab's Approval in NSCLC

Chandra P. Belani, MD, Miriam Beckner Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, deputy director, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, discusses how the FDA approval of nivolumab (Opdivo) has impacted the treatment paradigm of non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Nivolumab is approved in NSCLC for patients with both squamous and nonsquamous histologies, Belani explains. The basis of the approval for squamous patients is on data from the phase III CheckMate-057 study, which demonstrated a 3.6-month overall survival benefit with nivolumab versus docetaxel, regardless of staining for PD-1 expression.

In the nonsquamous population, a 2.8-month improvement was demonstrated, Belani adds. Nivolumab can be administered to all nonsquamous patients with NSCLC, an indication that it was approved for in October 2015, in the second-line setting after failure on chemotherapy.