Milan, June 4 (beraking latest news Health) – In patients affected by the most common form of lung cancer, non-small cell, a double immunotherapy based on nivolumab plus ipilimumab, associated with limited courses of chemotherapy (2 instead of the classic 4), reduces by 28 % risk of death and 33% risk of disease progression. In addition, 38% of patients who received dual immuno-oncology therapy in combination with 2 courses of chemotherapy were also alive at 2 years compared to 26% of those treated with chemo alone. These are the main data of the phase 3 study CheckMate -9LA, presented today by Bristol Myers Squibb (Bms) in an oral session of the Congress of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), running until June 8 in virtual form.
“In 2020 in Italy almost 41 thousand new diagnoses of lung cancer were estimated – says Cesare Gridelli, director of the Onco-Hematology Department of the Moscati hospital in Avellino – It is a particularly difficult neoplasm to treat, because about 70% of cases is discovered at an advanced stage. And the 5-year survival for people with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer does not exceed 6%. Hence the importance of new therapeutic options “.
“The CheckMate -9LA study involved more than 700 patients and has an innovative design – underlines the specialist – First of all, the combination of 2 immuno-oncological molecules, nivolumab and ipilimumab, allows to obtain a complete and synergistic mechanism of action, because it is direct towards 2 different checkpoints (Pd-1 and Ctla-4). The further advantage of this therapeutic scheme is represented by the use of limited courses of chemotherapy, which allows to reduce side effects. This is a great benefit for patients , also from a psychological point of view, because chemotherapy is still scary. The patient, in less than a month, finishes chemotherapy and continues treatment with immunotherapy “.
“The dual immuno-oncological therapy consisting of nivolumab plus ipilimumab, in association with 2 cycles of chemotherapy, at the forefront of metastatic cancer – continues Gridelli – has shown improvements in both overall and progression-free survival. In particular, at an extended follow-up of 2 years the combination continued to show sustained improvement in overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone, with a median of 15.8 months versus 11 months. Duration of response also reached 13 months. , compared to 5.6 months with chemotherapy alone. And these benefits were maintained regardless of the level of Pd-L1 expression and histotype, squamous or non-squamous. ”
Just today Asco awards Gridelli with the ‘BJ Kennedy Award for Scientific Exellence in Geriatric Oncology’, a prestigious acknowledgment that attests to the decisive contribution in the research, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the elderly. The oncologist – a note reads – dedicates his reading to the management of advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly patient. The value of Gridelli’s scientific production is evidenced by a very high parameter, which is based on the number of publications and citations received (H-index equal to 69).