Safety and efficacy of nivolumab compared with other regimens in patients with melanoma: A network meta-analysis

Background: Melanoma is a cancerous tumor that develops from melanocytes in the epidermal basal layer of the skin. It is a fatal skin cancer and the third most common kind of cutaneous tumor. We aim to evaluate the effect of nivolumab in melanoma patients compared with other regimens Methods: This meta-analysis included only clinical trials, both randomized and nonrandomized. The main outcomes of interest were the response to treatment, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival, and adverse events. Results: The overall effect estimates favored nivolumab group over the combination of nivolumab plus ipilimumab (HR 3.06, 95% CI 1.70-5.49) and chemotherapy group (HR 3.58, 95% CI 1.63-7.84) after 1 year. Compared to chemotherapy, nivolumab had lower rates of adverse events. Conclusion: Nivolumab monotherapy yields high progression-free survival rates and has the same efficacy when combined with ipilimumab in a 1-year OS. However, after 2 and 3 years of follow-up, the combined regimen has more OS rates.

Automated summary

Nivolumab shows good efficacy in melanoma patients with lower rates of adverse events. Nivolumab monotherapy and its combination with ipilimumab have different survival rates at different time points.