Survival Up With Nivolumab + Ipilimumab Versus Chemo for Metastatic CRC
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Dec. 9, 2024 -- For patients with microsatellite-instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch-repair-deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer who had not previously received systemic treatment, progression-free survival is longer with nivolumab plus ipilimumab than with chemotherapy, according to a study published online in the Nov. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Thierry Andre, M.D., from Sorbonne Université in Paris, and colleagues randomly assigned patients with unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer and MSI-H or dMMR status according to local testing to receive nivolumab plus ipilimumab, nivolumab alone, or chemotherapy with or without targeted therapies in a 2:2:1 ratio in a phase 3, open-label trial. In this prespecified interim analysis, nivolumab plus ipilimumab was compared to chemotherapy. Overall, 303 patients who had not previously received systemic treatment were randomly assigned to receive nivolumab plus ipilimumab or chemotherapy; 255 of the patients had centrally confirmed MSI-H or dMMR tumors.
The researchers found that progression-free survival outcomes were significantly better with nivolumab plus ipilimumab than with chemotherapy at a median follow-up of 31.5 months (24-month progression-free survival, 72 versus 14 percent with nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus chemotherapy). The restricted mean survival time was 10.6 months longer with nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus chemotherapy at 24 months, which was consistent with the primary analysis of progression-free survival. Grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 23 and 48 percent of patients in the nivolumab plus ipilimumab and chemotherapy groups, respectively.
"Progression-free survival outcomes with nivolumab plus ipilimumab were superior to those with chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of MSI-H or dMMR metastatic colorectal cancer," the authors write.
The study was funded by Bristol Myers Squibb and Ono Pharmaceutical; Bristol Myers Squibb manufactures nivolumab and ipilimumab.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Declining Childhood Vaccination May Increase Risk for Vaccine-Preventable Infections
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 -- Declining childhood vaccination rates may increase outbreaks of eliminated vaccine-preventable infections within the United States, leading to a...
AACR: Incidence-Based Mortality Dropping for Young Women With Breast Cancer
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- Incidence-based mortality (IBM) declined from 2010 to 2020 among women aged 20 to 49 years diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a study presented...
AACR: Nonsurgical Treatment Feasible for Mismatch Repair-Deficient Tumors
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- A neoadjuvant programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blockade enables nonoperative management among patients with early-stage mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.