All articles tagged with #pembrolizumab
A UK clinical trial found that a short course of immunotherapy before surgery eliminated bowel cancer recurrence in all 32 patients over 33 months. This approach outperformed standard chemotherapy, which sees 25% relapse rates. Researchers developed blood tests to predict treatment success.
Pfizer’s first new ADC after acquiring Seagen failed to meet its primary endpoint in a phase 3 nonsquamous NSCLC trial, showing no significant overall survival advantage vs docetaxel. The company cites a stronger signal in a patient subgroup with one prior therapy and notes ongoing phase 3 studies combining sigvotatug vedotin with pembrolizumab in first-line NSCLC, sustaining optimism for the program despite the setback.
A phase 2b trial (KEYNOTE-942) shows adding the personalized mRNA vaccine intismeran to pembrolizumab after melanoma surgery reduces recurrence or death by 49% over five years. The combo also lowers distant metastasis risk by 59% and yields 92.2% overall survival versus 71.3% with pembrolizumab alone. Five-year follow-up found 68.8% cancer-free in the combo group vs 50.9% in controls. The study, conducted in the US and Australia with 107 patients in the combo arm and 50 in control, reported manageable side effects and is guiding a phase 3 trial, with Moderna and Merck funding.
In the NEOPRISM-CRC trial, 32 patients with stage II/III MMR-deficient/MSI-high bowel cancer received three doses of pembrolizumab before planned surgery. Seventy percent? No—the article states 59% had no signs of disease after pembrolizumab ahead of surgery, and after nearly three years none of the 32 patients have experienced a recurrence, meaning all remained cancer-free. The results suggest neoadjuvant immunotherapy could change treatment for some bowel cancers and possibly reduce chemotherapy needs, though not all patients benefit. Researchers are exploring blood tests and immune profiling to predict responders, while NHS access to such therapy remains under consideration.
In the NEOPRISM-CRC trial, 32 patients with stage II-III MSI-H/MMR-deficient colorectal cancer received up to nine weeks of pembrolizumab before surgery instead of chemo; after ~33 months of follow-up, none have recurred and 59% had no detectable cancer after treatment, a sharp contrast to the typical ~25% recurrence with standard surgery-plus-chemotherapy. The study also linked blood-based tumor DNA clearance and pre-treatment immune profiling to predicting who will respond, suggesting biomarkers to tailor therapy.
In a 32-patient trial of stage 2–3 bowel cancer with MMR-deficient/MSI-high tumors, a short course of pembrolizumab before surgery kept all patients cancer-free for nearly three years; early data showed 59% had no signs of cancer at surgery, and long-term follow-up found no recurrences, a result that may surpass standard chemotherapy for this subset but is limited by size and specificity. Researchers also used tumor DNA blood tests to monitor response and aim to predict who will benefit. Presented at AACR 2026; longer follow-up is needed.
A UK-led NEOPRISM-CRC trial treated stage II/III MMR-deficient/MSI-H bowel cancer with up to nine weeks of pembrolizumab before surgery. After ~33 months of follow-up, none of the 32 patients have recurred, and 59% had no detectable cancer at surgery, suggesting preoperative immunotherapy may provide durable control compared with standard surgery followed by chemotherapy. Researchers are also using personalized blood tests and immune profiling to predict responders and monitor remaining disease.
A small NEOPRISM-CRC trial at University College London treated stage II/III colorectal cancers with MSI-H/MMR-deficient tumors using pembrolizumab before surgery. After nearly three years of follow-up, no patient experienced cancer recurrence, suggesting neoadjuvant immunotherapy could spare or reduce chemotherapy for this 10–15% subset of bowel cancers, though larger studies are needed to confirm efficacy and applicability.
A groundbreaking clinical trial shows that an immunotherapy drug, pembrolizumab, doubles the time head and neck cancer patients remain cancer-free, offering new hope for a difficult-to-treat cancer, with promising results suggesting it should be made available on the NHS.
A groundbreaking clinical trial shows that the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab can double the time head and neck cancer patients remain cancer-free compared to standard treatments, offering new hope for improved outcomes in these patients.
Jeff Cook, diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2019, became cancer-free after two years of treatment with pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug, highlighting a significant medical breakthrough for advanced cancer treatment.
Pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug also known as Keytruda, shows promising potential in treating bowel cancer by shrinking tumors and potentially eliminating the need for surgery and chemotherapy. This breakthrough, described as a "game-changer," enhances recovery rates and leverages the body's immune system to target cancer cells, offering fewer side effects compared to conventional treatments.
A clinical trial has shown that the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, which targets and blocks a specific protein on immune cells, can significantly increase the chances of curing bowel cancer and may replace the need for surgery. The trial, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, found that 59% of patients had no signs of cancer after treatment with pembrolizumab, compared to fewer than 5% with standard chemotherapy. Researchers are optimistic but note that further studies are needed to confirm long-term effectiveness.
Research suggests that the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, currently used for triple-negative breast cancer, could also benefit women with early-stage ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer. A global trial showed a significant increase in the lack of cancer signs in tissue samples when pembrolizumab was used alongside chemotherapy, regardless of the patient's age or menopausal status. The findings, presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference, indicate the potential for more effective treatments for this common type of breast cancer, pending further research and regulatory approval. Additionally, a genetic test has been developed to identify how patients with triple-negative early-stage breast cancer will respond to immunotherapy drugs, allowing for more personalized treatment approaches.
Three new advances in lung cancer treatment were unveiled at the American Society for Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago. The most exciting was a high-tech drug called pembrolizumab, which boosts the immune system and significantly slows the return of the disease. The drug is currently only offered to NHS patients with advanced lung cancer whose disease has spread, but the treatment could now be offered to thousands more. Another drug, SKB264, has been dubbed a "warhead drug" as it can penetrate tumours, delivering a powerful "payload" of chemotherapy agents that attack cancer cells from the inside.