Cited by 8,447Cancer Immunotherapy and BiomarkersLung Cancer Treatments and MutationsLung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

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

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Brahmer, Julie, Reckamp, Karen L., Baas, Paul, Crinò, Lucio, Eberhardt, Wilfried E.E., Poddubskaya, Elena, Antonia, Scott, Pluzanski, Adam +17 more·2015·New England Journal of Medicine

Abstract

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.).

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Crossref · 10.1056/nejmoa1504627

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  • Nivolumab has significantly improved outcomes in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

    “Nivolumab has significantly improved outcomes in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, reliable prognostic biomarkers remain an unmet need.”

    From SUVmax-IPI as a New Prognostic Index in Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Receiving Nivolumab (2025) · cites this paper as [3]

    The Conclusions (p. 1) report significantly better survival, response rate, and progression-free survival with nivolumab than with docetaxel. But the study was limited to patients with advanced, previously treated squamous-cell NSCLC; the claim does not retain those qualifiers and reads as applying to metastatic NSCLC more broadly. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1/PD-L1 have changed the treatment landscape for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

    “The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction has transformed the therapeutic landscape of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) [1][2][3][4][5][6] .”
  • In previously treated advanced NSCLC, PD-1/PD-L1 blockade improved overall survival compared with standard chemotherapy.

    “Landmark trials performed on previously treated patients with advanced NSCLC demonstrated superior overall survival (OS) with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade compared to standard chemotherapy [1][2][3] .”
  • PD-L1 expression on tumor cells was not correlated with treatment efficacy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer and Merkel cell carcinoma.

    “Although PD-L1 expression on tumor cells was correlated with treatment efficacy in melanoma patients (67, 108), it was not in patients with squamous cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer and Merkel cell carcinoma (70, 72, 74).”
  • In CheckMate 017, median OS was 9.2 months with nivolumab versus 6.0 months with docetaxel, with a 41% reduction in risk of death (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.44-0.49, P<0.001).

    “At the data cut-off, median OS was 9.2 months (95% CI: 7.3-13.3months) on nivolumab compared with 6.0 months (95% CI: 5.1-7.3months) on docetaxel, with a 41% reduction in the risk of death in the nivolumab arm (HR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.44-0.49;P < 0.001).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. [3]3. containing chemotherapy regimens: the TAX 320 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Study Group. J Clin Oncol 2000; 18: 2354-62.
  2. [5]5. previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol 2000; 18: 2095-103.
  3. [8]8. vivo toxicology in non-human primates. Cancer Immunol Res 2014; 2: 846-56.
  4. [20]20. FDA expands approved use of Opdivo to treat lung cancer. Press release of the Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, MD, March 4, 2015 (http://www .fda .gov/ newsevents/ newsroom/ pressannouncements/ ucm436534 .htm).

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Authors
Brahmer, J., Reckamp, K. L., Baas, P., Crinò, L., Eberhardt, W. E. E., Poddubskaya, E., Antonia, S., Pluzanski, A., Vokes, E. E., Holgado, E., Waterhouse, D., Ready, N., Gainor, J., Arén Frontera, O., Havel, L., Steins, M., Garassino, M. C., Aerts, J. G., Domine, M., Paz-Ares, L., Reck, M., Baudelet, C., Harbison, C. T., Lestini, B., & Spigel, D. R.
Affiliations
  • City Of Hope National Medical Center (US)
  • The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NL)
  • University of Perugia (IT)
  • Ruhrlandklinik (DE)
  • Russian Cancer Research Center NN Blokhin (RU)
  • Moffitt Cancer Center (US)
  • University of Chicago (US)
  • Oncology Hematology Care (US)
  • Duke Medical Center (US)
  • Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
  • Fakultní nemocnice Bulovka (CZ)
  • University Hospital Heidelberg (DE)
  • Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (IT)
  • Amphia Ziekenhuis (NL)
  • Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío (ES)
  • LungenClinic Grosshansdorf (DE)
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb (United States) (US)
  • Tennessee Oncology (US)
Venue
New England Journal of Medicine
Published
2015-07-09
Volume
373
Issue
2
Pages
123-135
ISSN
  • 0028-4793 (ISSN-L)
  • 1533-4406
OpenAlex
W2156353875
Cited by
8,447
References
22
Citations by year
2026: 204 · 2025: 332 · 2024: 525 · 2023: 627 · 2022: 718 · 2021: 928 · 2020: 1065 · 2019: 969 · 2018: 1066 · 2017: 1001 · 2016: 803 · 2015: 184 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 2
FWCI
444.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • New England Journal of Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion)
  • Universitätsbibliographie, Universität Duisburg-Essen (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Cancer Institute (P30CA076292)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Keywords
nivolumab, docetaxel, squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer, PD-1 inhibitors, immune checkpoint inhibitors, overall survival, progression-free survival, PD-L1 expression, treatment-related adverse events, second-line therapy, previously treated patients, response rate, treatment safety and efficacy comparison, immunotherapy versus chemotherapy
MeSH terms
Docetaxel, Nivolumab, Adult, Aged, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Antineoplastic Agents, Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell, Female, Humans, Immunoglobulin G, Lung Neoplasms, Male, Middle Aged, Survival Analysis, Taxoids, B7-H1 Antigen, Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor

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