Five-year clinical outcomes after neoadjuvant nivolumab in resectable non-small cell lung cancer

In 2018, the first clinical trial of neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 therapy for cancer was published, showing that neoadjuvant nivolumab for resectable NSCLC was safe and feasible, and resulted in major pathologic response (MPR) in 45% of patients. Five-year follow-up of the study has now been published. Five-year RFS and OS rates were 60% and 80%, respectively. There were no recurrences or cancer-related deaths among the 9 patients with MPR, while among the 11 patients without MPR 6 experienced tumor relapse, and 3 died. The authors conclude that five-year clinical outcomes with neoadjuvant nivolumab for resectable NSCLC compare favorable with historical outcomes.