Key clinical point: First-line nivolumab treatment did not improve overall survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with sorafenib.
Major finding: At a minimum follow-up of 22.8 months, nivolumab vs sorafenib did not meet the prespecified significance boundary for superior overall survival (16.4 months vs 14.7 months; hazard ratio, 0.85; P = .075).
Study details: Findings are from the phase 3 CheckMate 459 trial including 743 adult patients with advanced HCC randomly assigned to receive either nivolumab (n=371) or sorafenib (n=372).
Disclosures: This study was supported by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and Ono Pharmaceutical. Some investigators including the lead author reported receiving grants and fees from, participation on data safety monitoring board or advisory boards for, owning stocks in, and being an employee of various pharmaceutical companies, including BMS and Ono Pharmaceutical.
Source: Yau T et al. Lancet Oncol. 2021 Dec 13. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00604-5 .