- Immune checkpoint inhibitors which is a type of Immunotherapy
- Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor
- PD-1
- Transmembrane protein expressed on T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells
- It is an inhibitory molecule that binds to the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)
- The PD-1:PD-L1/2 interaction directly inhibits apoptosis of the tumor cell, promotes peripheral T effector cell exhaustion, and promotes conversion of T effector cells to Treg cells
Used in
- in dMMR cancers
- Palliative Gastric adenocarcinoma
- Palliative Colorectal cancer
- Triple negative breast cancer
- Can be considered in neoadjvent setting in stage 2/3 disease
New Zealand indicaitions (1 Oct 2024) - relevent to gen surg
Melanoma KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma in adults. KEYTRUDA® is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of adult and paediatric (12 years and older) patients with Stage IIB, IIC, or III melanoma who have undergone complete resection.
Oesophageal Cancer KEYTRUDA®, in combination with platinum and fluoropyrimidine based chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic carcinoma of the oesophagus or gastroesophageal junction.
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer KEYTRUDA® is indicated for the treatment of patients with high-risk early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in combination with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, and then continued as monotherapy as adjuvant treatment after surgery. KEYTRUDA® in combination with chemotherapy, is indicated for the treatment of patients with locally recurrent unresectable or metastatic TNBC whose tumours express PD-L1 (CPS ≥10) as determined by a validated test.
Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer (HNSCC) KEYTRUDA®, in combination with platinum and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic or unresectable recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). KEYTRUDA®, as monotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic or unresectable recurrent HNSCC, whose tumours express PD-L1 [Combined Positive Score (CPS) ≥1] as determined by a validated test. KEYTRUDA®, as monotherapy, is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic or unresectable recurrent HNSCC with disease progression on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy.
Microsatellite instability-high cancer Colorectal KEYTRUDA® is indicated in adult and paediatric patients for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic, microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. This indication was approved based on objective response rate and response duration in a single-arm trial.
Colorectal Cancer KEYTRUDA® is indicated for the first-line treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic MSI-H or dMMR colorectal cancer (CRC).