Dr. Karim on the Rationale for the CheckMate-73L Trial With Ipilimumab/Nivolumab in NSCLC

Nagla Abdel Karim, MD, professor of medicine, medical director, Georgia Cancer Center, discusses the rationale for the phase 3 CheckMate-73L trial (NCT04026412) that is being conducted in patients with stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that is unable or not planned to be removed by surgery.

The ongoing phase 3 trial is examining the safety and efficacy of the dual-immunotherapy combination of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab with 2 types of chemotherapy that have a different mechanism of action, according to Karim. In the consolidation phase of the trial, this strategy should ultimately result in a synergistic antitumor response in this population, Karim says. 

In terms of the 2 agents being used, ipilimumab blocks the interaction between CTLA-4 on T cells, as well as CD80 and CD86 on those presenting cells, Karim explains. Additionally, nivolumab inhibits PD-1 expression. As such, utilizing this combination should have a more synergistic mechanism, and subsequently, result in better clinical outcomes for these patients in terms of progression-free survival and overall survival, Karim concludes.