Dr. Palmbos on the Utilization of Nivolumab Following Cystectomy in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

Phillip Palmbos, MD, PhD, assistant professor, University of Michigan Health, discusses the utilization of adjuvant nivolumab (Opdivo) following cystectomy in high-risk, muscle-invasive bladder cancer. 

The randomized phase 3 CheckMate 274 trial (NCT02632409) examined nivolumab vs placebo in this patient population, Palmbos says. High-risk patients in this trial were defined as those with node-positive disease at cystectomy, T2 or greater for patients who underwent prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy, or T3 or greater with no history of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, Palmbos adds. 

The primary end point of disease-free survival was met, particularly in the in the PD-L1–positive population, Palmbos adds. For patients with high-risk features observed in the CheckMate 274 study, nivolumab could have a role in the adjuvant setting following cystectomy, Palmbos concludes.