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First- and second-line chemotherapy are only modestly effective for patients with metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma, and new third-line treatment options are urgently needed. Now, Asian investigators have conducted an industry-sponsored, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial to test the safety and effectiveness of the anti–PD-1 agent nivolumab in 493 patients with gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer refractory to two or more chemotherapy regimens.
Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive nivolumab or placebo. Most patients were male (69%–73%), had undergone gastrectomy (60%–64%), had received three or more prior chemotherapy regimens (80%–82%), and had lymph node metastatic disease (85%–86…