Dr. Overman on Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Patients With MSI-H CRC

Michael J. Overman, MD, associate professor, Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses a study examining nivolumab (Opdivo) monotherapy, ipilimumab (Yervoy) monotherapy, and the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).

Interim results of the CheckMate-142 study show that among patients who received single-agent nivolumab, median progression-free survival (PFS) was approximately 6 months. Additionally, Overman explains, PFS at 12 months was approximately 45%.

In the combination cohort of nivolumab/ipilimumab, preliminary findings show an 80% reduction in tumor size, while monotherapy with ipilimumab demonstrated a 55% reduction in tumor size. However, longer follow-up is needed in the combination cohort to confirm these findings, he adds.