Overview

• Results were presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona and published in Nature Medicine on September 8.
• The regimen tested neoadjuvant nivolumab alone or with ipilimumab followed by surgery and adjuvant nivolumab, with over 80% of patients proceeding to planned operations on time and with manageable side effects.
• Patients receiving the nivolumab–ipilimumab combination had a median overall survival of 28.6 months, with nearly 36% alive and recurrence-free at follow-up, noting the study was not powered to prove efficacy.
• Tumor‑informed whole‑genome ctDNA analysis detected microscopic residual disease missed by imaging, and undetectable ctDNA or a 95% or greater decline during therapy correlated with longer event‑free and overall survival.
• Investigators emphasize the findings are preliminary, call for larger confirmatory trials and external validation of ctDNA‑guided decisions, and note the multi‑center trial was sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb with disclosed industry relationships.