Comparative Effectiveness of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab Plus Chemotherapy Versus Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy in PD-L1 Negative Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Background: Recently, the combination of nivolumab, ipilimumab and chemotherapy (NIC) became available for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) patients, introducing a new treatment option. This study aimed to compare the treatment response and real-world outcomes of NIC with the current standard of care pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (PC) in PD-L1 negative mNSCLC patients treated in clinical practice and to compare these outcomes with the results of the Checkmate-9LA trial.

Methods: All mNSCLC patients with PD-L1<1% treated with NIC or PC at 2 large teaching hospitals in the Netherlands between 2019 and 2023 were included.