Dr. Patel on Choosing a Chemoimmunotherapy Treatment in NSCLC

Manish Patel, MD, DO, hematologist, oncologist, associate professor of medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, University of Minnesota Medical School, discusses choosing a chemoimmunotherapy regimen for patients with advanced, metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The phase 3 CheckMate 9LA trial (NCT03215706) evaluates chemotherapy plus nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy), providing patients with an alternative to pembrolizumab (Keytruda) plus chemotherapy, Patel says. Current data for each regimen suggest that there are similar efficacy outcomes and toxicity profiles for each of these regimens, Patel adds. However, the absence of head-to-head comparative studies makes the decision challenging, Patel continues.

Treatment selection should account for both updated efficacy results and individual patient factors, Patel continues. For example, patients who are reluctant to undergo chemotherapy may benefit more from the CheckMate 9LA regimen, Patel says. Alternatively, the known reliability and efficacy of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy continue to support its use as a standard-of-care regimen, Patel notes.

Ultimately, both regimens are viable treatment options for patients with NSCLC, Patel concludes.