Real-world clinical outcomes of nivolumab and taxane as a second- or later-line therapy for recurrent or unresectable advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

BackgroundNivolumab is approved in Japan as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) resistant to fluoropyrimidine and platinum-based drugs. It is also used in adjuvant and primary postoperative therapies. This study aimed to report real-world data on nivolumab use for esophageal cancer treatment.MethodsIn total, 171 patients with recurrent or unresectable advanced ESCC who received nivolumab (n = 61) or taxane (n = 110) were included. We collected real-world data of patients treated with nivolumab as a second- or later-line therapy and evaluated treatment outcomes and safety.ResultsMedian overall survival was longer and progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer (p = 0.0172) in patients who received nivolumab than in patients who received taxane as a second- or later-line therapy. Furthermore, subgroup analysis for second-line treatment only showed the superiority of nivolumab in increasing the PFS rate (p = 0.0056). No serious adverse events were observed.ConclusionsIn real-world practice, nivolumab was safer and more effective than taxane in patients with ESCC with diverse clinical profiles who did not meet trial eligibility criteria, including those with poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, comorbidities, and receiving multiple treatments.

Self-Assembled Nanocomposite DOX/TPOR4@CB[7]4 for Enhanced Synergistic Photodynamic Therapy and Chemotherapy in Neuroblastoma

“…Chemotherapy, the most prevalent approach for cancer treatment, exhibits less invasiveness compared to surgery or radiation, exerts relatively minimal overall adverse effects on patients, and demonstrates remarkable efficacy in eradicating tumor cells and preventing metastasis [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. However, this statement highlights the substantial toxicity and adverse effects on the human body associated with chemotherapy, as well as its propensity to develop drug resistance.…”

Efficacy and survival of nivolumab treatment for recurrent/unresectable esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma: real-world clinical data from a large multi-institutional cohort

“…In clinical practice, anti-PD-1 antibody may also be administered in patients who do not meet the eligibility criteria for clinical trials, including patients with poor performance status (PS) or severe comorbidities or elderly populations. Although drug efficacy needs to be assessed in both clinical trials and real-world settings, real-world data on the efficacy and survival of nivolumab monotherapy for unresectable advanced or recurrent ESCC in clinical practice are very limited [ 18 ]. In addition, since the CheckMate 648 trials demonstrated the efficacy of nivolumab as a first-line therapy [ 19 ], combination chemotherapy with nivolumab or a dual immune checkpoint inhibitors is increasingly being used in clinical settings; therefore, the availability of prospective data for nivolumab monotherapy is limited.…”