How many patients with advanced solid tumors received immune checkpoint inhibitors in the study?

The question asks about the number of patients with advanced solid tumors who received immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in a specific study. The answer depends on which study is being referred to. In a large meta-analysis that combined results from 29 studies, a total of 6,129 patients were included, all of whom received ICIs ¹. Other individual studies reported different numbers, such as 500 patients in a phase III trial of ultra-low-dose nivolumab ² and 99 patients in a phase 2 trial combining ICIs with radiotherapy ⁵.

What the research says

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2026 identified 29 studies that compared early versus late time-of-day ICI administration in patients with advanced solid tumors. In total, these studies included 6,129 patients, all of whom received immune checkpoint inhibitors ¹. This is the largest pooled analysis addressing the question.

In a separate phase III randomized trial, 500 patients with advanced solid tumors were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either ultra-low-dose nivolumab (an ICI) or standard chemotherapy. Thus, 250 patients received the ICI in that study ².

The CHEERS phase 2 randomized trial included 99 patients with advanced solid tumors, all of whom received ICIs. Of these, 52 were in the control arm (ICI alone) and 47 in the experimental arm (ICI plus radiotherapy) ⁵.

Other studies cited in the sources focused on different therapies (antibody-drug conjugates) rather than ICIs, so they are not relevant to the question ³⁴⁶⁷.

What to ask your doctor

• How does the timing of ICI administration (morning vs. evening) affect treatment outcomes?
• What is the evidence for ultra-low-dose nivolumab compared to standard chemotherapy?
• Are there ongoing trials combining ICIs with radiotherapy for my type of cancer?
• What factors determine which ICI regimen is best for my specific tumor type?