Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab Versus EXTREME Regimen as First-Line Treatment for Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: The Final Results of CheckMate 651

Robert I. Haddad, Kevin Harrington, Makoto Tahara, Robert L. Ferris, Maura Gillison, Jerome Fayette, Amaury Daste, Piotr Koralewski, Bogdan Zurawski, Miren Taberna, Nabil F. Saba, Milena Mak, Andrzej Kawecki, Gustavo Girotto, Miguel Angel Alvarez Avitia, Caroline Even, Joaquin Gabriel Reinoso Toledo, Alexander Guminski, Urs Müller-Richter, Naomi KiyotaMustimbo Roberts, Tariq Aziz Khan, Karen Miller-Moslin, Li Wei, Athanassios Argiris

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

PURPOSECheckMate 651 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02741570) evaluated first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus EXTREME (cetuximab plus cisplatin/carboplatin plus fluorouracil six cycles, then cetuximab maintenance) in recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN).METHODSPatients without prior systemic therapy for R/M SCCHN were randomly assigned 1:1 to nivolumab plus ipilimumab or EXTREME. Primary end points were overall survival (OS) in the all randomly assigned and programmed death-ligand 1 combined positive score (CPS) 20 populations. Secondary end points included OS in the programmed death-ligand 1 CPS 1 population, and progression-free survival, objective response rate, and duration of response in the all randomly assigned and CPS 20 populations.RESULTSAmong 947 patients randomly assigned, 38.3% had CPS 20. There were no statistically significant differences in OS with nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus EXTREME in the all randomly assigned (median: 13.9 v 13.5 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.95; 97.9% CI, 0.80 to 1.13; P =.4951) and CPS 20 (median: 17.6 v 14.6 months; HR, 0.78; 97.51% CI, 0.59 to 1.03; P =.0469) populations. In patients with CPS 1, the median OS was 15.7 versus 13.2 months (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.97). Among patients with CPS 20, the median progression-free survival was 5.4 months (nivolumab plus ipilimumab) versus 7.0 months (EXTREME), objective response rate was 34.1% versus 36.0%, and median duration of response was 32.6 versus 7.0 months. Grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 28.2% of patients treated with nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus 70.7% treated with EXTREME.CONCLUSIONCheckMate 651 did not meet its primary end points of OS in the all randomly assigned or CPS 20 populations. Nivolumab plus ipilimumab showed a favorable safety profile compared with EXTREME. There continues to be a need for new therapies in patients with R/M SCCHN.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2166-2180
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Clinical Oncology
Volume41
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 20 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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