Neoadjuvant nivolumab plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy for resectable NSCLC

In patients with non-metastatic NSCLC, surgery has curative potential, but 30-80% of patients who undergo resection experience recurrence. The multinational phase 3 CheckMate 816 study evaluated neoadjuvant combination of nivolumab plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for resectable stage IB-IIIA NSCLC. The study met its primary endpoint, with pCR in 24.0% of patients in the nivolumab plus chemotherapy arm versus 2.2% of patients in the chemotherapy alone arm (OR 13.94; p<0.0001). Addition of nivolumab to chemotherapy did not decrease resectability.