Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Clin Cancer Res. 2016 Aug 1;22(15):3713-7. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-15-2998. Epub 2016 Jun 1.

Abstract

The outcomes for patients with previously treated advanced stage non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) are very poor, with a modest benefit from chemotherapy over best supportive care. Immunotherapy offers a novel approach for the treatment of these patients, with two anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) checkpoint inhibitors, nivolumab and pembrolizumab, recently approved by the FDA based on large randomized clinical trials showing increased overall survival compared with standard second-line docetaxel. Although only a subset of patients benefit from these drugs, the treatment is usually well tolerated and the responses are often durable, with an unprecedented number of survivors 3 years after starting the therapy. The next steps should be the identification of reliable predictors for benefit from immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors and the pursuit of well-designed combination therapies. In this article, we review the rationale for the use of checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC, the data from phase I and randomized clinical trials, and future directions. Clin Cancer Res; 22(15); 3713-7. ©2016 AACR.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / administration & dosage
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / immunology
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / mortality
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology
  • Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung Neoplasms / immunology
  • Lung Neoplasms / mortality
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Nivolumab
  • Prognosis
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • PDCD1 protein, human
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
  • Nivolumab
  • pembrolizumab