BACKGROUNDStandard first-line therapy for metastatic, squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is platinum-based chemotherapy or pembrolizumab (for patients with programmed death ligand 1 [PD-L1] expression on ≥50% of tumor cells). More recently, pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy was shown to significantly prolong overall survival among patients with nonsquamous NSCLC. METHODSIn this double-blind, phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, 559 patients with untreated metastatic, squamous NSCLC to receive 200 mg of pembrolizumab or saline placebo for up to 35 cycles; all the patients also received carboplatin and either paclitaxel or nanoparticle albumin-bound [nab]-paclitaxel for the first 4 cycles. Primary end points were overall survival and progression-free survival. RESULTSAfter a median follow-up of 7.8 months, the median overall survival was 15.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.2 to not reached) in the pembrolizumab-combination group and 11.3 months (95% CI, 9.5 to 14.8) in the placebo-combination group (hazard ratio for death, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.85; P<0.001). The overall survival benefit was consistent regardless of the level of PD-L1 expression. The median progression-free survival was 6.4 months (95% CI, 6.2 to 8.3) in the pembrolizumabcombination group and 4.8 months (95% CI, 4.3 to 5.7) in the placebo-combination group (hazard ratio for disease progression or death, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.70; P<0.001). Adverse events of grade 3 or higher occurred in 69.8% of the patients in the pembrolizumab-combination group and in 68.2% of the patients in the placebocombination group. Discontinuation of treatment because of adverse events was more frequent in the pembrolizumab-combination group than in the placebo-combination group (13.3% vs. 6.4%). CONCLUSIONSIn patients with previously untreated metastatic, squamous NSCLC, the addition of pembrolizumab to chemotherapy with carboplatin plus paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel resulted in significantly longer overall survival and progression-free survival than chemotherapy alone. (Funded by Merck Sharp & Dohme; KEYNOTE-407 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02775435.

No abstract

No abstract

PURPOSE Pembrolizumab monotherapy has shown antitumor activity in patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The randomized, double-blind, phase III KEYNOTE-604 study compared pembrolizumab plus etoposide and platinum (EP) with placebo plus EP for patients with previously untreated extensive-stage (ES) SCLC. METHODS Eligible patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to pembrolizumab 200 mg once every 3 weeks or saline placebo for up to 35 cycles plus 4 cycles of EP. Primary end points were progression-free survival (PFS; RECIST version 1.1, blinded central review) and overall survival (OS) in the intention-to-treat population. Objective response rate (ORR) and duration of response were secondary end points. Prespecified efficacy boundaries were one-sided P = .0048 for PFS and .0128 for OS. RESULTS Of the 453 participants, 228 were randomly assigned to pembrolizumab plus EP and 225 to placebo plus EP. Pembrolizumab plus EP significantly improved PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.75; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.91; P = .0023). Twelve-month PFS estimates were 13.6% with pembrolizumab plus EP and 3.1% with placebo plus EP. Although pembrolizumab plus EP prolonged OS, the significance threshold was not met (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.98; P = .0164). Twenty-four-month OS estimates were 22.5% and 11.2%, respectively. ORR was 70.6% in the pembrolizumab plus EP group and 61.8% in the placebo plus EP group; the estimated proportion of responders remaining in response at 12 months was 19.3% and 3.3%, respectively. In the pembrolizumab plus EP and placebo plus EP groups, respectively, any-cause adverse events were grade 3-4 in 76.7% and 74.9%, grade 5 in 6.3% and 5.4%, and led to discontinuation of any drug in 14.8% and 6.3%. CONCLUSION Pembrolizumab plus EP significantly improved PFS compared with placebo plus EP as first-line therapy for patients with ES-SCLC. No unexpected toxicities were seen with pembrolizumab plus EP. These data support the benefit of pembrolizumab in ES-SCLC.

No abstract

Platinum-based chemotherapy plus bevacizumab and paclitaxel is the standard first-line therapy for persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer. The phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 trial found evidence of a response to pembrolizumab among patients with programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) positive cervical cancer.This double-blind phase 3 trial (KEYNOTE-826) evaluated the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab or placebo in addition to platinum-based chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab in patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer. Patients older than 18 years who had not been treated with systemic chemotherapy and had not received radiotherapy within the 2 weeks before randomization were eligible. PD-L1 expression was measured according to combined positive score, defined as the number of PD-L1-staining cells in a tumor sample divided by the total number of viable tumor cells, multiplied by 100. Patients were enrolled at 151 sites in 19 countries and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to pembrolizumab (200 mg) or placebo every 3 weeks for up to 35 cycles. All patients received paclitaxel and the investigators' choice of cisplatin or carboplatin every 3 weeks, whereas bevacizumab was given according to local practice at the investigator's discretion. The primary outcomes were overall survival and progression-free survival. Superiority of pembrolizumab to placebo was tested in all patients with PD-L1 combined positive score of 1 or more, combined positive score of 10 or more, and in the intention-to-treat population.A total of 617 patients were randomized between November 2018 and January 2020, with 308 in the pembrolizumab group and 309 in the placebo group. A total of 548 patients had a PD-L1 combined positive score of 1 or more (273 in pembrolizumab group, 275 in placebo group) and 317 patients with a score of 10 or more (158 in pembrolizumab group, 159 in placebo group). The median follow-up time at first interim analysis was 22.0 months (15.1 to 29.4). The median treatment duration was 10.0 months in the pembrolizumab group and 7.7 months in the placebo group. Progression-free survival was significantly prolonged in the pembrolizumab group compared with the placebo group in patients with a PD-L1 score of 1 or more (median, 10.4 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 9.7-12.3] vs 8.2 months [95% CI, 6.3-8.5 months]), in patients with a PD-L1 score of 10 or more (median, 10.4 months [95% CI, 8.9-15.1] vs 8.1 months [95% CI, 6.2-8.8]), and in the intention-to-treat population (median, 10.4 months [95% CI, 9.1-12.1] vs 8.2 months [95% CI,). Overall survival was likewise significantly longer in the pembrolizumab group compared with the placebo group among patients with a PD-L1 score of 1 or more (24-month estimate of patients alive, 53.0%; 95% CI, 34.9-48.2), a score of 10 or more (24-month estimate, 54.4%; 95% CI, 45.5-62.4), and in the intention-to-treat population (24-month estimate, 50.4%; 95% CI, 43.8-56.6). Serious adverse events occurred in 49.8% of the patients in the pembrolizumab group and 42.4...

Background: In the phase III IMpassion130 trial, combining atezolizumab with first-line nanoparticle albumin-boundpaclitaxel for advanced triple-negative breast cancer (aTNBC) showed a statistically significant progression-free survival (PFS) benefit in the intention-to-treat (ITT) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive populations, and a clinically meaningful overall survival (OS) effect in PD-L1-positive aTNBC. The phase III KEYNOTE-355 trial adding pembrolizumab to chemotherapy for aTNBC showed similar PFS effects. IMpassion131 evaluated first-line atezolizumabepaclitaxel in aTNBC. Patients and methods: Eligible patients [no prior systemic therapy or 12 months since (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy] were randomised 2:1 to atezolizumab 840 mg or placebo (days 1, 15), both with paclitaxel 90 mg/m 2 (days 1, 8, 15), every 28 days until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Stratification factors were tumour PD-L1 status, prior taxane, liver metastases and geographical region. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed PFS, tested hierarchically first in the PD-L1-positive [immune cell expression 1%, VENTANA PD-L1 (SP142) assay] population, and then in the ITT population. OS was a secondary endpoint. Results: Of 651 randomised patients, 45% had PD-L1-positive aTNBC. At the primary PFS analysis, adding atezolizumab to paclitaxel did not improve investigator-assessed PFS in the PD-L1-positive population [hazard ratio (HR) 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60-1.12; P ¼ 0.20; median PFS 6.0 months with atezolizumabepaclitaxel versus 5.7 months with placeboepaclitaxel]. In the PD-L1-positive population, atezolizumabepaclitaxel was associated with more favourable unconfirmed best overall response rate (63% versus 55% with placeboepaclitaxel) and median duration of response (7.2 versus 5.5 months, respectively). Final OS results showed no difference between arms (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.76-1.64; median 22.1 months with atezolizumabepaclitaxel versus 28.3 months with placeboe paclitaxel in the PD-L1-positive population). Results in the ITT population were consistent with the PD-L1-positive population. The safety profile was consistent with known effects of each study drug. Conclusion: Combining atezolizumab with paclitaxel did not improve PFS or OS versus paclitaxel alone. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03125902.

No abstract