Adjuvant Pembrolizumab Improves RFS in Melanoma

Source: OncLive, January 2018

Adjuvant pembrolizumab (Keytruda) reduced the risk of recurrence by 43% in patients with stage III resected high-risk melanoma, according to findings from the phase III EORTC1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial.1
The hazard ratio for recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 0.57 for pembrolizumab versus placebo (98.4% CI, 0.43-0.74; P <.0001). There were no new safety concerns in the KEYNOTE-054 trial compared with outcomes reported in previous studies of the PD-1 inhibitor.
The study remains ongoing so that investigators can evaluate additional key outcomes measures, such as overall survival (OS). Merck (MSD), the manufacturer of pembrolizumab, reported in a press release that the full results from the trial will be shared at a future medical meeting and submitted to regulatory authorities.