Dr. Long on Evaluating Adjuvant Pembrolizumab vs Placebo in Melanoma

Georgina V. Long, BSc, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, co-medical director, Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), chair, Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research, MIA and Royal North Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, member, Charles Perkins Centre, discusses evaluating pembrolizumab (Keytruda) vs placebo in stage IIB or IIC melanoma.

The phase 3 KEYNOTE-716 study (NCT03553836) is evaluating pembrolizumab vs placebo to determine if 12 months of pembrolizumab can decrease the risk of recurrence and prolong distant metastasis-free survival and overall survival, Long says. At the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting, the first analysis of the distant metastasis-free survival was presented, showing that pembrolizumab given for 12 months after complete resection of stage IIB or IIC melanoma decreased the risk of distant metastasis by 36% compared with placebo, Long explains.

The landmark 12-month and 24-month rates of distant metastasis-free survival were higher in the pembrolizumab arm compared with the placebo arm, Long adds. Moreover, all key subgroups s