Nivolumab in gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer: real-world data from UK Early Access to Medicines Scheme.

Lay abstract This study looked at the characteristics and quality of life (QoL) of patients who were taking the drug, nivolumab, and how well it works for advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. GEJ adenocarcinoma is a rare type of cancer that starts in the GEJ, the area where the esophagus and stomach join. Information was collected from the medical records of patients who had advanced GEJ adenocarcinoma and were treated with nivolumab as part of a UK program that gives people access to new treatments that are not yet licensed. Patients also filled out a questionnaire called the EuroQoL five dimensions questionnaire that focuses on a patient's quality of life (QoL). In total, 113 patients were a part of the study. The midpoint of all patients' ages was 62 years and they were mostly males (76.1%), Whites (87.4%) and with GEJ adenocarcinoma (61.9%). The midpoint of follow-up time was 2.8 months. The percentages of patients meeting progression-free survival for 6 months, a period when a patient lives with GEJ adenocarcinoma but it does not get worse, and overall survival were 31.6 and 56.7%, respectively. Mean EuroQoL five dimensions questionnaire index scores (comprised between zero and one, the higher the better) at treatment start, 8, 16 and 24 weeks were 0.795, 0.831, 0.870 and 0.793, respectively. Progression-free survival was similar to clinical trial results and QoL was constant over time.