Dr. Patrick M. Forde on Neoadjuvant Nivolumab in NSCLC

Patrick M. Forde, MBBCh, assistant professor of oncology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, discusses a study presented at ESMO 2016 on neoadjuvant nivolumab, in early stage resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Among the 18 evaluable patients included in the study, nivolumab appeared to be safe and well-tolerated and none of the patients that received it neoadjuvantly were delayed in going to surgery, says Forde. There were no unusual safety signals, says Forde.

In metastatic melanoma patients who received nivolumab in others studies, pneumonitis was common, says Forde. That was not the case with the early stage patients in this study so far.

Seven of 18 evaluable patients had significant pathologic responses after 2 doses of the PD-1 inhibitor prior to surgery. Radiographic evidence of response occurred in 22% patients.

Follow-up analysis will look at immunohistochemical changes with nivolumab treatment and also examine whether the tumor mutation profile may predict response in early-stage disease.

The study is expanding, so more patient will be enrolled with a slightly longer course of treatment, say Forde.