(Barcelona, Spain September 6, 2025, 5:45 p.m. CEST / UTC +2 ) — An analysis from the Phase 3 CheckMate 77T trial confirms that perioperative nivolumab does not compromise health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including those with Stage III N2 disease.
These results were presented today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC).
The study assessed HRQoL by nodal status and surgical outcomes using patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures such as the NSCLC-Symptom Assessment Questionnaire (NSCLC-SAQ) and the EQ-5D-3L visual analogue scale (VAS). Patients received either neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy or placebo plus chemotherapy, followed by surgery and adjuvant therapy.
"Maintaining quality of life during and after treatment is vital to long-term success, and these results show that perioperative nivolumab supports both survival and patient well-being," said Dr. Jonathan Spicer from McGill University Health Centre.
He reported that more than 90% PRO completion rates across nodal status groups, except at pre- and post-surgery, and that health care quality of life was generally maintained across all treatment phases.
Additionally, Dr. Spicer said that among Stage III N2 NSCLC patients, nivolumab reduced risk of HRQoL deterioration vs. placebo NSCLC-SAQ: HR = 0.50 (95% CI: 0.28–0.88) and EQ-5D-3L VAS: HR = 0.47 (95% CI: 0.27–0.82).
"These benefits extended to patients undergoing single lobectomy or complete resection," he said.
The analyses reinforce the role of perioperative nivolumab as a treatment that not only extends event-free survival but also protects patient quality of life in early-stage resectable NSCLC, particularly among high-risk N2 patients, Dr. Spicer stated.
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