Illustrative FDA-approved indications for ICIs in combination with chemotherapy as of 2022
| Indication | FDA-approved combination | Dosing scheme |
| Billiary tract cancer | Durvalumab + gemcitabine and cisplatin | ICI + chemotherapy (8 cycles) → ICI maintenance until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity |
| HNSCC | Pembrolizumab + platinum-containing chemotherapy and FU | ICI + chemotherapy (6 cycles) → ICI maintenance for up to 2 years |
| Cervical cancer | Pembrolizumab + platinum-based chemotherapy (with or without bevacizumab) | Continuous for up to 2 years of the ICI |
| GEJ and esophageal cancer | Pembrolizumab + fluoropyrimidine and platinum-containing chemotherapy | ICI + chemotherapy (6 cycles) → ICI + fluoropyrimidine maintenance |
| Gastric, GEJ, and esophageal cancer | Nivolumab + fluoropyrimidine and platinum-containing chemotherapy | Continuous for up to 2 years of the ICI |
| NSCLC (non-squamous) | Pembrolizumab + pemetrexed and platinum-containing chemotherapy | ICI + chemotherapy (4 cycles) → ICI + pemetrexed maintenance |
| NSCLC (squamous) | Pembrolizumab + carboplatin and (nab)-paclitaxel | ICI + chemotherapy (4 cycles) → ICI maintenance for up to 2 years |
| NSCLC (any histology) | Cemiplimab + histology-appropriate chemotherapy | ICI + chemotherapy (4 cycles) → chemotherapy maintenance |
| NSCLC (resectable) | Nivolumab + platinum doublet chemotherapy | ICI + chemotherapy (3 cycles) → optional adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy |
| SCLC | Atezolizumab + carboplatin and etoposide | ICI + chemotherapy (4 cycles) → ICI maintenance until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity |
| Durvalumab + cisplatin or carboplatin and etoposide | ICI + chemotherapy (4 cycles) → ICI maintenance until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity | |
| TNBC (advanced, PD-L1+CPS >10) | Pembrolizumab + chemotherapy* | Continuous for up to 2 years of the ICI |
| TNBC (perioperative) | Pembrolizumab + chemotherapy* | Neoadjuvant ICI + chemotherapy (24 weeks) → surgery → adjuvant ICI (up to 27 weeks, disease recurrence, or unacceptable toxicity) |
Continuous dosing refers to combinations that are administered as both agents until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or a predefined time interval.
*Label indication does not specify the chemotherapy backbone. In the registration trials for pembrolizumab, patients received nab-paclitaxel, paclitaxel, or gemcitabine and carboplatin with pembrolizumab.
CPS, combined positive score; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; FU, fluorouracil; GEJ, gastroesophageal junction; HNSCC, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; ICI, immune checkpoint inhibitor; nab, nanoparticle albumin-bound; NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer; PD-L1, programmed death ligand-1 ; SCLC, small cell lung cancer; TNBC, triple-negative breast cancer.