Pembrolizumab plus pemetrexed and platinum for metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC: five-year outcomes from KEYNOTE-189

The multinational phase 3 KEYNOTE-189 trial randomized patients with previously untreated metatstatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer,without EGFR/ALK alterations, to pembrolizumab or placebo for up to 35 cycles, both added to four cycles platinum-pemetrexed, followed by pemetrexed maintenance until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Updated results of the study, after median 64.6 months follow-up (range 60.1-72.4) show that pembrolizumab plus pemetrexed-platinum maintained OS and PFS benefit versus placebo plus pemetrexed –platinum. The authors conclude that these data continue to support pembrolizumab plus pemetrexed-platinum as a standard of care in previously untreated metastatic nsqNSCLC without EGFR/ALK alterations.