Dr. Reck on Updated Results of the CheckMate 9LA Trial in Advanced NSCLC

Martin Reck, MD, PhD, head of the department of thoracic oncology and the Clinical Trial Department within the Department of Thoracic Oncology at Lung Clinic Grosshansdorf, Grosshansdorf, Germany, discusses updated results of the phase 3 CheckMate 9LA study (NCT03215706) in advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The CheckMate 9LA study evaluated the first-line combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) plus 2 cycles of chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with advanced NSCLC. An interim analysis of the study demonstrated improved overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate (ORR) with the chemoimmunotherapy regimen compared with up to 4 cycles of chemotherapy alone.

During the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, updated findings from CheckMate 9LA were presented virtually and demonstrated continued benefit with the chemoimmunotherapy regimen vs chemotherapy alone in this patient population, says Reck. At a minimum follow-up of 2 years, the median OS was 15.8 months with nivolumab/ipilimumab plus 2 cycles of chemotherapy vs 11.0 months with chemotherapy alone. The 2-year OS rates were 38% vs 26%, respectively. Additionally, PFS and ORR were improved with the combination approach vs chemotherapy alone at 2 years, concludes Reck.