Perioperative Nivolumab Maintains Event-Free Survival Benefit in Resectable NSCLC, Especially in ctDNA-Negative and pCR Responders

According to recent data from the CheckMate-77T clinical trial, perioperative therapy with nivolumab (Opdivo) in combination with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by adjuvant nivolumab, has been shown to improve event-free survival (EFS) in patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to placebo. The study included patients with early-stage NSCLC who were eligible for surgical resection. Participants received neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without nivolumab before surgery, followed by adjuvant nivolumab or placebo after surgery. The results demonstrated a significant prolongation of EFS in the group receiving nivolumab. Subgroup analyses revealed that patients who were negative for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA-) or who achieved a pathological complete response (pCR) derived particularly pronounced benefit from the treatment. These findings suggest that perioperative nivolumab may be an effective strategy to improve outcomes in resectable NSCLC, especially for patients who respond well to initial therapy or have no detectable ctDNA after treatment. The CheckMate-77T trial is part of ongoing research efforts to optimize perioperative treatment approaches in lung cancer.