ASCO: Pembrolizumab superior for initial Tx of advanced NSCLC

ASCO: pembrolizumab superior for initial tx of advanced NSCLC

(HealthDay)—For patients with programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-expressing locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pembrolizumab is associated with better overall survival than chemotherapy, regardless of the PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from June 1 to 5 in Chicago.

Gilberto Lopes, M.D., from the University of Miami Health System, and colleagues compared with at the lower TPS of ≥1 percent. A total of 1,274 with previously untreated advanced/metastatic NSCLC were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to ≤35 cycles of pembrolizumab or no more than six cycles of paclitaxel + carboplatin or pemetrexed + carboplatin with optional pemetrexed maintenance.

The researchers found that 13.7 and 4.9 percent of patients were still on pembrolizumab and were on pemetrexed maintenance, respectively, after a median follow-up of 12.8 months. In patients with TPS ≥50 percent, TPS ≥20 percent, and TPS ≥1 percent, pembrolizumab correlated with significant improvement in overall survival (hazard ratios, 0.69, 0.77, and 0.81, respectively). The frequency of grade 3 to 5 drug-related adverse events was reduced with pembrolizumab (17.8 versus 41.0 percent).

"Our study shows that pembrolizumab provides more benefit than chemotherapy for two-thirds of all people with the most common type of ," Lopes said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Merck, which manufactures pembrolizumab and partially funded the study.

More information: Press Release
More Information

Copyright © 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Citation: ASCO: Pembrolizumab superior for initial Tx of advanced NSCLC (2018, June 4) retrieved 18 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-06-asco-pembrolizumab-superior-tx-advanced.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

ASCO: Pembrolizumab is good second-line Tx in urothelial CA

4 shares

Feedback to editors