Dr. Evan Alley on KEYNOTE-028 Trial Results in Mesothelioma

Evan W. Alley, MD, PhD, interim chief, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, discusses the results from the phase Ib KEYNOTE-028 trial on a cohort of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

While the trial evaluated pembrolizumab as a potential treatment for several advanced solid tumors, the preliminary data presented at the 2015 AACR Annual Meeting was regarding the mesothelioma cohort. In this cohort, 25 patients were enrolled and administered 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Response assessments were made every 8 weeks.

Seven patients had partial responses (28%) and 12 patients had stable disease. The overall disease control rate was 76%, Alley says.

Eligible patients had received prior chemotherapy. Second-line chemotherapy treatments for mesothelioma, overall, have an approximate 10% response rate. The average survival rate for a patient with mesothelioma, Alley explains, is 13 months.

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