In this study, sitagliptin was generally well tolerated and provided effective glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes and moderate to severe renal insufficiency, including patients with ESRD on dialysis.

Introduction: The PD-1 receptor-ligand pathway can be used by tumors to evade immune surveillance, thereby allowing neoplastic growth. Pembrolizumab is a highly selective, humanized IgG4/kappa isotype mAb designed to block PD-1 interaction with its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2, thereby reactivating the immune system to eradicate tumors. Methods: This is a multi-center, non-randomized trial of single agent MK-3475 treatment given intravenously at 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks, in patients with recurrent/metastatic triple-negative (ER, PR, and HER2 negative) breast cancer (TNBC). PD-L1 expression in tumor or stroma was required for study entry. PD-L1 status was determined by immunohistochemical analysis of patient’s tumor tissues using the Merck proprietary 22C3 antibody. Primary objectives of this study were to determine the safety, tolerability, and anti-tumor activity of MK-3475 in patients with PD-L1 positive, advanced TNBC. Secondary objectives included assessments of progression-free survival, overall survival, and response duration. Adverse events (AEs) reported in any patient receiving at least 1 dose of study treatment were monitored and graded using NCI CTCAE v. 4.0. Radiographic imaging was obtained every 8 weeks and evaluated by both investigator and an independent radiologist to assess clinical responses as defined by RECIST 1.1. This study (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01848834) is being conducted in conformance with Good Clinical Practices. Results: A total of 32 female patients with a median age of 50.5 years (range 29 – 72 years) with PD-L1 positive, recurrent/metastatic TNBC were enrolled in the study. Most of these patients had received and progressed on multiple lines of therapy for advanced disease. A preliminary analysis of data collected as of 23May2014 indicates that 5 patients (15.6%) experienced at least one drug-related serious adverse event (SAE); each of 4 patients experienced one of the following: Grade 3 anemia, headache, aseptic meningitis or pyrexia, and a fifth patient experienced disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) with thrombocytopenia and decreased blood fibrinogen. The patient who experienced DIC died. Preliminary analysis of data collected from investigators as of 23May2014 indicates that no patient had a complete response, 16.1% of patients had a partial response, 9.7% had stable disease, and 64.5% had progressive disease. As of 23May2014, all but one of the responders, in addition to three patients with stable disease, remain on treatment. Conclusion: This is the first report of clinical activity of an immune checkpoint inhibitor in TNBC. The preliminary results from this study suggest that single agent MK-3475 is a well-tolerated and effective treatment with significant therapeutic activity in a subset of heavily pre-treated patients with recurrent/metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Citation Format: Rita Nanda, Laura Q Chow, E Claire Dees, Raanan Berger, Shilpa Gupta, Ravit Geva, Lajos Pusztai, Marisa Dolled-Filhart, Kenneth Emancipator, Edward J Gonzalez, Jennifer Houp, Kumudu Pathiraja, Vassiliki Karantza, Robert Iannone, Christine K Gause, Johnathan D Cheng, Laurence Buisseret. A phase Ib study of pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr S1-09.

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3 Background: Tumors use the PD-1 pathway to evade immune surveillance. Pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, has shown antitumor activity in advanced cancers. We assessed the safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab in patients with advanced gastric cancer in KEYNOTE-012 (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01848834). Methods: Archival tumor samples from patients from Asia-Pacific (AP) and rest of the world (ROW) with recurrent or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction were screened for PD-L1 expression using a prototype IHC assay with the 22C3 antibody. Only patients with distinctive stromal or ≥1% tumor nest cell PD-L1 staining were eligible. Patients received pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks for up to 24 months or until complete response, progression, or unacceptable toxicity. Imaging was performed every 8 weeks. Primary efficacy end point is ORR assessed per RECIST v1.1 by independent central review. Secondary end points include duration of response, PFS, and OS. Results: Of the 162 patientts screened, 65 (40%) were PD-L1+. Of these 65 patients, 39 enrolled (19 from AP, 20 from ROW; median age, 63 years [range 33-78]). The number of prior therapies for advanced disease ranged from 0 to 5; 67% received ≥2 prior therapies. Median follow-up duration was 8.8 months (range 6.2-12.6); 13 patients (33%) remain on therapy. Four patients experienced 5 total grade 3-5 drug-related adverse events: peripheral sensory neuropathy, fatigue, decreased appetite, hypoxia, and pneumonitis (n = 1 each). There was 1 drug-related death (hypoxia). ORR was 22% (95% CI 10-39) by central review and 33% (95% CI 19-50) by investigator review. Median time to response was 8 weeks (range 7-16), with a median response duration of 24 weeks (range 8+ to 33+). PD-L1 expression level was associated with ORR (1-sided P = 0.10). The 6-month PFS rate was 24%. The 6-month OS rate was 69%. Conclusions: Pembrolizumab demonstrated manageable toxicity and promising antitumor activity in advanced gastric cancer. These results support the ongoing development of pembrolizumab for gastric cancer. Clinical trial information: NCT01848834.

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