Nivolumab (BMS-936558; ONO-4538; MDX-1106; Opdivo) is a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) blocking antibody, known also as therapeutic antibody of PD-1, that has been approved for use to treat advanced (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer. Nivolumab is used as a first line drug for the treatment of inoperable or metastatic melanoma in combination with ipilimumab if the cancer does not have a mutation in BRAF, as a second-line treatment following treatment with ipilimumab and if the cancer has a mutation in BRAF, with a BRAF inhibitor, as a second-line treatment for squamous non-small cell lung cancer, and as a second-line treatment for renal cell carcinoma. Nivolumab has recently been approved for small cell lung cancer.