- Subcutaneous formula slashes treatment time to under 5 minutes
- Broad impact seen for greater access to and experience with treatment
- Study has implications for treatment of many cancer types
Newswise — SAN FRANCISCO — Subcutaneous injection of the immunotherapy nivolumab (brand name Opdivo) is noninferior to intravenous delivery and dramatically reduces treatment time in patients with renal cell carcinoma, as seen in the results of a large phase 3 clinical trial reported today at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, California. Saby George, MD, FACP, Professor of Oncology and Medicine and Director of Network Clinical Trials at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, will deliver an oral abstract summarizing the findings of “A Study of Subcutaneous Nivolumab Versus Intravenous Nivolumab in Participants with Previously Treated Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma That Is Advanced or Has Spread (CheckMate-67T)” (NCT04810078).
“The burden of treatment felt by cancer patients is tremendous. If nivolumab can be given as a subcutaneous injection instead of an intravenous infusion, their treatment experience will be significantly improved,” says Dr. George, who is the presenting author, a member of the clinical trial steering committee and site principal investigator at Roswell Park. “Instead of one hour in an infusion chair, they will get the injection done in five minutes.”
He points to the high demand for infusion chair appointments at most cancer centers, which can result in treatment delays of a week or more.
“If nivolumab becomes available subcutaneously, we can administer it in the clinic instead of sending patients to infusion centers,” he says. That outcome could simultaneously speed treatment time for patients receiving nivolumab and shorten wait times for patients who still need to receive treatment in an infusion center.
The availability of injectable nivolumab could also reduce…
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