Comparative effectiveness of nivolumab versus clinical practice for advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer

Aim: To determine the effectiveness of nivolumab compared with routine clinical practice (RCP) for patients with gastric or gastroesophageal cancer refractory to, or intolerant of, two or more previous regimens, using real-world electronic patient records from a US population, a single-arm trial (CheckMate 032) and a randomized controlled trial in an Asian setting (ATTRACTION-2). Materials & methods: A simulated treatment comparison was conducted to predict overall survival for patients treated with nivolumab compared with RCP in the USA. Results: Results of the indirect simulated treatment comparison suggest that nivolumab is associated with a 50% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality relative to RCP (Hazard ratio: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.36, 0.68). Conclusion: The survival benefit of nivolumab may extend more generally to the USA.