title: Safety Profile of Nivolumab Monotherapy: A Pooled Analysis of Patients With Advanced Melanoma.
abstract: Purpose We conducted a retrospective analysis to assess the safety profile of nivolumab monotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma and describe the management of adverse events (AEs) using established safety guidelines. Patients and Methods Safety data were pooled from four studies, including two phase III trials, with patients who received nivolumab 3 mg/kg once every 2 weeks. We evaluated rate of treatment-related AEs, time to onset and resolution of select AEs (those with potential immunologic etiology), and impact of select AEs and suppressive immune-modulating agents (IMs) on antitumor efficacy. Results Among 576 patients, 71% (95% CI, 67% to 75%) experienced any-grade treatment-related AEs (most commonly fatigue [25%], pruritus [17%], diarrhea [13%], and rash [13%]), and 10% (95% CI, 8% to 13%) experienced grade 3 to 4 treatment-related AEs. No drug-related deaths were reported. Select AEs (occurring in 49% of patients) were most frequently skin related, GI, endocrine, and hepatic; grade 3 to 4 select AEs occurred in 4% of patients. Median time to onset of select AEs ranged from 5 weeks for skin to 15 weeks for renal AEs. Approximately 24% of patients received systemic IMs to manage select AEs, which in most cases resolved. Adjusting for number of doses, objective response rate (ORR) was significantly higher in patients who experienced treatment-related select AEs of any grade compared with those who did not. ORRs were similar in patients who did and patients who did not receive systemic IMs. Conclusion Treatment-related AEs with nivolumab monotherapy were primarily low grade, and most resolved with established safety guidelines. Use of IMs did not affect ORR, although treatment-related select AEs of any grade were associated with higher ORR, but no progression-free survival benefit.
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: F Stephen
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Hodi
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: Jedd D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Wolchok
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: Suzanne L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Topalian
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schadendorf
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Larkin
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sznol
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: Georgina V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: Hewei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: Ian M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Waxman
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey S. Weber, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; F. Stephen Hodi, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; Jedd D. Wolchok, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Suzanne L. Topalian, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Mario Sznol, Yale University School of Medicine and Smilow Cancer Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT; Hewei Li, Ian M. Waxman, and Joel Jiang, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; Dirk Schadendorf, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; James Larkin, Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom; Georgina V. Long, Melanoma Institute Australia and University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and Caroline Robert, Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, Villejuif-Paris Sud, France.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Robert
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D017321:Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic; D017326:Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077594:Nivolumab; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000077594:Nivolumab