4 June, 2025
Study shows that the use of immunotherapy with chemotherapy before lung cancer surgery reduces the risk of cancer returning and improves long term survival.
Results from a phase 3 clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, today [Wednesday, 4th June 2025] show that patients with lung cancer who received an immunotherapy drug, nivolumab, along with standard chemotherapy before surgery had improved long term survival compared to those who received chemotherapy alone, at 5 years after completing treatment. Prof. Patrick Forde of the Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute (TSJCI), Trinity College Dublin School of Medicine presented the findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago. Prof. Forde led the CheckMate 816 trial which enrolled 358 patients globally who were diagnosed with the most common type of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), at a stage where it could be removed by surgery. However, despite undergoing surgery >50% of patients with stage 2 or 3 lung cancer will eventually have relapse of their cancer. Immunotherapy drugs known as immune checkpoint inhibitors, in particular those that block a receptor called PD-1, have led to improved survival for patients with advanced cancers by unmasking the tumour to the patient’s immune system. However, up until now, no study had shown long-term benefit to this treatment in helping to cure earlier stage lung cancer.
Earlier in his career as an oncologist at Johns Hopkins in the United States Prof. Forde led the first clinical trial of immunotherapy prior to surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) for lung cancer which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2018. That study showed that among 20 patients who underwent surgery after 2 doses of immunotherapy almost half had little or no remaining cancer at the time of their operation.
Prof. Forde said:
“Immunotherapy has helped many patients with stage 4 lung cancer live longer with good quality of life. Until recently we have not had new treatments available that can increase the chances of cure after lung cancer surgery. The use of immunotherapy with chemotherapy before lung cancer surgery has now been shown to reduce the risk of cancer coming back and improve long term survival. Cancer clinical trials are key to improving outcomes for patients with cancer and offer the potential for early access to the latest cutting edge cancer treatments. I am delighted to be able to help expand clinical trial options for patients in Ireland.”
In 2024 Prof. Forde joined the Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute (TSJCI) as the Patrick Prendergast Professor of Clinical Immuno-Oncology. This position was established by a philanthropic gift from Dr. Stanley Quek, Trinity alumnus and former Pro-Chancellor of the University. In collaboration with colleagues across Ireland Prof. Forde’s goal is to improve access for patients to cutting edge cancer clinical trials.
You can read the NEJM paper, Survival with Neoadjuvant Nivolumab 3 plus Chemotherapy in Lung Cancer at the following link, when the embargo lifts: www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2502931
For more information, please see:
https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/2025/immunotherapy-before-surgery-improves-lung-cancer-survival-in-global-clinical-trial-/