Table 1. Criteria of the included studies.
| Author | Year | Study period | Country | Center | Study type | Trial phase | Cancer type | Comparison arms (IMM vs. CTH) | Doses of drug administration¶ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fehrenbacher (15) | 2016 | 2013–2014 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase II | NSCLC | Atezolizumab vs. Docetaxel | Atezolizumab 1,200 mg vs. Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 |
| Brahmer (2) | 2015 | 2012–2013 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase III | Squamous cell NSCLC | Nivolumab vs. Docetaxel | Nivolumab 3 mg/kg vs. Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 |
| Borghaei (16) | 2015 | 2012–2013 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase III | NSCLC | Nivolumab vs. Docetaxel | Nivolumab 3 mg/kg vs. Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 |
| Motzer (17) | 2016 | 2012–2014 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase III | Renal-cell carcinoma with a clear-cell component | Nivolumab vs. Everolimus | Nivolumab 3 mg/kg vs. Everolimus 10 mg |
| Reck (18) | 2016 | 2014–2015 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase III | PD-L1-positive NSCLC | Pembrolizumab vs. Platinum based CHT | Pembrolizumab 200 mg vs. the investigator’s choice of one of 5 platinum-based CTH regimens for 4 to 6 cycles: carboplatin + pemetrexed, cisplatin + pemetrexed, carboplatin + gemcitabine, cisplatin + gemcitabine, or carboplatin + paclitaxel |
| Robert (3) | 2014 | 2013–2014 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase III | Melanoma | Nivolumab vs. Dacarbazine | Nivolumab 3 mg/kg vs. Dacarbazine 1,000 mg/m2 |
| Weber (19) | 2015 | 2012–2014 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase III | Melanoma | Nivolumab vs. ICC (either dacarbazine or carboplatin + paclitaxel) | Nivolumab 3 mg/kg vs. ICC (either dacarbazine 1,000 mg/m2 or carboplatin area under the curve 6 + paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 |
| Ferris (20) | 2016 | 2014–2015 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase III | Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma | Nivolumab vs. Standard, single-agent systemic therapy (methotrexate, docetaxel or cetuximab) | Nivolumab 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Standard therapy either methotrexate 40 to 60 mg/m2 or docetaxel 30 to 40 mg/m2 or cetuximab 250 mg/m2 after a loading dose of 400 mg/m2 |
| Bellmunt (21) | 2017 | 2014–2015 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase III | Urothelial Carcinoma | Pembrolizumab vs. investigator's choice of chemotherapy between paclitaxel, docetaxel or vinflunine | Pembrolizumab 200 mg vs. paclitaxel (at a dose of 175 mg/m2), docetaxel (at a dose of 75 mg/m2), or vinflunine (at a dose of 320 mg/m2) |
| Hamid (22) | 2017 | 2012–2013 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase II | Advanced melanoma | Pembrolizumab vs. investigator's choice of chemotherapy between carboplatin, carboplatin + paclitaxel, dacarbazine, paclitaxel alone or oral temozolomide | Pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg |
| Rittmeyer (23) | 2017 | 2014 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase III | Squamous and NSCLC | Atezolizumab vs. docetaxel | Atezolizumab 1,200 mg or docetaxel 75 mg/m2 |
| Herbst (24) | 2016 | 2013–2015 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase II/III | Lung cancers | Pembrolizumab vs. Docetaxel | Pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg vs. docetaxel 75 mg/m2 |
| Carbone (25) | 2017 | 2014–2015 | International | Multicenter | RCT | Phase III | NSCLC | Nivolumab vs. Platinum-based CTH | Nivolumab IV at a dose of 3 mg per kilogram of body weight vs. platinum-based chemotherapy |
¶, name of chemotherapy and number of studies details—Docetaxel: 5, Platinum-based: 2, Everolimus: 1, Dacarbazine: 1, Either Dacarbazine or Carboplatin+ Paclitaxel: 1, Either Methotrexate or Docetaxel: 1, Either Paclitaxel, Docetaxel or Vinflunine: 1, Either Carboplatin plus Paclitaxel, Dacarbazine, Paclitaxel alone or oral Temozolomide: 1. CTH, chemotherapy; IMM, immunotherapy; NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer; RCT, randomized clinical trial.