This review describes trials evaluating the monoclonal antibody pembrolizumab (an immunotherapy that blocks the interaction between programmed death-1 and programmed death-ligand 1 and 2 [PD-L1/PD-L2]) as first-line therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the Phase III KEYNOTE-024 study, pembrolizumab monotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival (primary end point) and overall survival, and was associated with fewer adverse events compared with platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC with PD-L1 expression on >/=50% of tumor cells. In cohort G of the Phase I/II KEYNOTE-021 study, pembrolizumab plus pemetrexed and carboplatin significantly improved objective response rate (primary end point) and progression-free survival versus pemetrexed and carboplatin alone, and had manageable toxicity in patients with nonsquamous NSCLC. These results have changed first-line management of advanced NSCLC.
Keywords
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/pharmacology/*therapeutic use
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/pharmacology/*therapeutic use
- B7-H1 Antigen/antagonists & inhibitors
- Carboplatin/therapeutic use
- Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/immunology/mortality/*therapy
- Clinical Trials as Topic
- Combined Modality Therapy
- Humans
- Immunotherapy/*methods
- Lung Neoplasms/immunology/mortality/*therapy
- Neoplasm Metastasis
- Pemetrexed/therapeutic use
- Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand 2 Protein/antagonists & inhibitors
- Survival Analysis
- *checkpoint inhibitor
- *immunotherapy
- *non-small-cell lung cancer
- *pembrolizumab
