In a nutshell
This study wanted to find out if treating lung cancer with nivolumab (Opdivo) is better than treating it with docetaxel (Taxotere), specifically for lung cancer than has already been treated before.
The study found that nivolumab worked better and was safer than docetaxel in treating lung cancer.
Some background
Nivolumab and docetaxel are two medications used to treat cancer. Nivolumab is used to treat many types of cancer. It is not known which type of medication is better for treating non-small cell lung cancer that has already been treated with another medication.
Methods & findings
This study consisted of 949 patients. All these patients had advanced non-small cell lung cancer. This study looked at six different studies and pooled the results of those. 469 of these patients were treated with nivolumab. 480 of these patients were treated with docetaxel.
Overall, the patients who were treated with nivolumab survived for longer than those treated with docetaxel. The patients who were treated with nivolumab were more likely to respond to treatment. The patients treated with nivolumab had a longer time before the cancer progressed than those treated with docetaxel. The patients treated with nivolumab had less side effects than those treated with docetaxel. Side effects of nivolumab included tiredness (15.7%), nausea (10.8%), decreased appetite (10.3%), diarrhoea (7.5%), constipation (3.5%), and rash (7.5%).
The bottom line
The study concluded that nivolumab works better than docetaxel in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer that has been treated before.
The fine print
This is a large study that looked at data from lots of smaller studies.
What’s next?
Discuss your treatment plan with your oncologist.
Published By :
Cancer Medicine
Date :
Jan 09, 2019
