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CheckMate 743

CheckMate 743 was the first immunotherapy trial to lengthen survival in mesothelioma, and gave the first new first-line option in 16 years.

OS 18.1 vs 14.1 months (HR 0.74); 3-year OS 23% vs 15%; 5-year OS 14% vs 6% (JCO 2025). Benefit largest in non-epithelioid histology (OS 18.1 vs 8.8 months), where chemotherapy performs poorly. FDA approval October 2020. Grade 3-4 treatment-related events 30%.

Setting
Unresectable pleural mesothelioma, first line: nivolumab + ipilimumab vs platinum-pemetrexed
Phase
Phase 3
Sponsor
BMS
Registry
Headline result
OS 18.1 vs 14.1 months, HR 0.74; 5-year OS 14% vs 6%.
Reported
2020
Enrolled
605
Replication
Single phase 3; consistent direction in the phase 2 MAPS2 and INITIATE studies of second-line nivolumab-ipilimumab.

Outcomes

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In plain words
What these results mean for people, not percentages
605 people took part
Overall survivalprimarysurvival endpoint
  • Median 18.1 vs 14.1 months with Nivolumab + ipilimumab compared with Platinum + pemetrexed; about 4 months longer for half the group.
  • A median is a midpoint: half the people did better than this and half did worse, so it is not a prediction for any one person.
  • Put another way, the treated group had about 26 percent lower chance of the event at any given time (hazard ratio 0.74, likely range 0.6 to 0.91).
5-year overall survival ratesurvival endpoint
  • 14 vs 6 out of 100 alive at 5 years with Nivolumab + ipilimumab compared with Platinum + pemetrexed; 8 more per 100.
  • Roughly one extra person helped for every 13 treated. That is a rough figure taken from the two percentages, not a guarantee for any one person.
  • Put another way, the treated group had about 26 percent lower chance of the event at any given time (hazard ratio 0.74, likely range 0.62 to 0.88).
Be careful
  • Overall survival counts deaths from any cause, so it is the most direct measure of whether a treatment helps people live longer.
  • These results apply to the people the trial enrolled: Unresectable pleural mesothelioma, first line: nivolumab + ipilimumab vs platinum-pemetrexed. People in a different situation may not see the same effect.

Numbers are from the trial as recorded here; see the source links in the table below. This is orientation, not medical advice: ask your team how closely the trial population matches you.

605 participants enrolled.

Overall survivalprimary
HR 0.74 (0.6–0.91) · p = 0.002
Nivolumab + ipilimumab
18.1 mo
Platinum + pemetrexed
14.1 mo
Source
5-year overall survival rate
HR 0.74 (0.62–0.88)
Nivolumab + ipilimumab14 of 100
Platinum + pemetrexed6 of 100
Source
EndpointArmnValueHR (95% CI)pSource
Overall survivalprimaryNivolumab + ipilimumab30318.1 months0.74 (0.6–0.91)0.002link
Platinum + pemetrexed30214.1 months
5-year overall survival rateNivolumab + ipilimumab14%0.74 (0.62–0.88)link
Platinum + pemetrexed6%
Replication
Single phase 3; consistent direction in the phase 2 MAPS2 and INITIATE studies of second-line nivolumab-ipilimumab.

Connected

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