Nivolumab (anti-PD-1, BMS-936558, ONO-4538) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

In the era of genomic sequencing rapid strides have been made in understanding the molecular underpinnings of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and resulted in the development of highly effective therapies targeting specific molecular subsets of the disease. Response rates (RR) have increased dramatically from ~30% with cytotoxic chemotherapy to greater than 60% with biologic therapies such as erlotinib in patients with tumors harboring specific molecular alterations. However, despite the impressive activity of targeted therapy, durable responses are uncommon and tumors tend to develop resistance to treatment within months. Thus, there is a pressing need for the development of newer modalities of treatment for advanced lung cancer.