The phase III KEYNOTE-811 trial evaluating Keytruda (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, in combination with trastuzumab and fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy met its dual primary endpoint of overall survival for the first-line treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.
Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) transformed treatment paradigms in dozens of malignancies, yet oncologists still confront a deceptively simple question at every consult: Will this individual patient benefit and at what cost?
