Nivolumab versus Docetaxel in Advanced Squamous-Cell Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Original Article
Nivolumab versus Docetaxel in Advanced Squamous-Cell Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Julie Brahmer, M.D., Karen L. Reckamp, M.D., Paul Baas, M.D., Lucio Crinò, M.D., Wilfried E.E. Eberhardt, M.D., Elena Poddubskaya, M.D., Scott Antonia, M.D., Ph.D., Adam Pluzanski, M.D., Ph.D., Everett E. Vokes, M.D., Esther Holgado, M.D., Ph.D., David Waterhouse, M.D., Neal Ready, M.D., Justin Gainor, M.D., Osvaldo Arén Frontera, M.D., Libor Havel, M.D., Martin Steins, M.D., Marina C. Garassino, M.D., Joachim G. Aerts, M.D., Manuel Domine, M.D., Luis Paz-Ares, M.D., Martin Reck, M.D., Christine Baudelet, Ph.D., Christopher T. Harbison, Ph.D., Brian Lestini, M.D., Ph.D., and David R. Spigel, M.D.

N Engl J Med 2015; 373:123-135July 9, 2015DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1504627

Background

Patients with advanced squamous-cell non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have disease progression during or after first-line chemotherapy have limited treatment options. This randomized, open-label, international, phase 3 study evaluated the efficacy and safety of nivolumab, a fully human IgG4 programmed death 1 (PD-1) immune-checkpoint–inhibitor antibody, as compared with docetaxel in this patient population.

Methods

We randomly assigned 272 patients to receive nivolumab, at a dose of 3 mg per kilogram of body weight every 2 weeks, or docetaxel, at a dose of 75 mg per square meter of body-surface area every 3 weeks. The primary end point was overall survival.

Results

The median overall survival was 9.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.3 to 13.3) with nivolumab versus 6.0 months (95% CI, 5.1 to 7.3) with docetaxel. The risk of death was 41% lower with nivolumab than with docetaxel (hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.79; P<0.001). At 1 year, the overall survival rate was 42% (95% CI, 34 to 50) with nivolumab versus 24% (95% CI, 17 to 31) with docetaxel. The response rate was 20% with nivolumab versus 9% with docetaxel (P=0.008). The median progression-free survival was 3.5 months with nivolumab versus 2.8 months with docetaxel (hazard ratio for death or disease progression, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.81; P<0.001). The expression of the PD-1 ligand (PD-L1) was neither prognostic nor predictive of benefit. Treatment-related adverse events of grade 3 or 4 were reported in 7% of the patients in the nivolumab group as compared with 55% of those in the docetaxel group.
Conclusions

Among patients with advanced, previously treated squamous-cell NSCLC, overall survival, response rate, and progression-free survival were significantly better with nivolumab than with docetaxel, regardless of PD-L1 expression level. (Funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb; CheckMate 017 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01642004.)