pembrolizumab

  • April 28, 2021 

    How Can Detection of Tumor DNA in the Blood Aid Advanced Cancer Treatment?

    With: Paul Billings, MD, PhDAlexey Aleshin, MD, MBA

    As a tumor grows, it may shed fragments of its DNA into the patient’s bloodstream. After treatment, if part of the tumor remains or it begins to grow again, more of this circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may enter the blood. That raises the possibility that detecting ctDNA could help clinicians monitor molecular or minimal residual disease—cancer that remains after treatment and cannot be detected… Read more »

  • April 12, 2021 

    Lenvatinib/Pembrolizumab Improves Survival in Advanced Endometrial CancerBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    The ASCO Post reports on new results from a clinical trial testing a combination of the drugs lenvatinib and pembrolizumab in people with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. The results show that, compared to standard chemotherapy, this drug combo improves both overall and progression-free survival—according to both statistical and clinical analysis.

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  • November 24, 2020 

    For Esophageal Cancer, Immunotherapy Likely to Play Larger RoleBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    A blog post from the National Cancer Institute reports that two clinical trials are showing encouraging results for progression-free survival—and one for overall survival—from treatment with immunotherapy drugs in people with advanced esophageal cancer. 

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  • August 15, 2020 

    Pembrolizumab Provides Long-Term Benefit in Melanoma, Regardless of BRAF+ Status or Prior Targeted TherapyBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Article from OncLive curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

    A new study shows that the drug pembrolizomab significantly prolongs survival in patients with metastatic melanoma, regardless of whether their tumors have mutations in the BRAF gene or if they’ve had prior treatment with targeted therapy.

    Go to full article published by OncLive.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • August 7, 2020 

    FDA Approves Merck’s Keytruda, Foundation Medicine CDx for TMB-High Solid TumorsBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Article from GenomeWeb curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the drug pembrolizumab (brand name Keytruda) for solid tumors based solely on whether they have a high tumor mutational burden—a high number of changes in the DNA of the cancer cells.

    Go to full article published by GenomeWeb.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • May 25, 2020 

    What’s New in Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Chemotherapy was once the only treatment option for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). But five years ago, immunotherapy—treatment that boosts a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer—came on the scene. In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug nivolumab (brand name Opdivo) as next-line treatment for NSCLC after chemotherapy. Today, new immunotherapy options continue to alter the NSCLC… Read more »

  • December 26, 2019 

    Pembrolizumab Approved for Some Patients with Advanced Esophageal CancerBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Article from the National Cancer Institute curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

    In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab for certain advanced esophageal cancers, depending on testing results. The National Cancer Institute explains here.

    Go to full article published by the National Cancer Institute.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • December 13, 2019 

    New Standard of Care for Metastatic Renal Cell CarcinomaBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Article from Medscape curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

    This piece describes huge improvements in the standard of care and outcomes from combo therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

    Go to full article published by Medscape.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • December 2, 2019 

    Pembrolizumab Plus Lenvatinib Approved for Endometrial CancerBookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Article from Cancer Network curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new combination therapy for certain advanced endometrial cancers.

    Go to full article published by Cancer Network.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • June 24, 2019 

    FDA Expands Pembrolizumab Indication for First-Line Treatment of NSCLC (Tps ≥1%)Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “On April 11, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration approved pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA, Merck Inc.) for the first-line treatment of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation or metastatic NSCLC. Patients’ tumors must have no EGFR or ALK genomic aberrations and express PD-L1 (Tumor Proportion Score [TPS] ≥1%) determined by an FDA-approved test.

    “Pembrolizumab was previously approved as a single agent for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic NSCLC whose tumors express PD-L1 TPS ≥50%.”

    Go to full article published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on April 11, 2019.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.