Pembrolizumab versus paclitaxel for previously treated, advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (KEYNOTE-061): a randomised, open-label, controlled, phase 3 trial

TY - JOUR

T1 - Pembrolizumab versus paclitaxel for previously treated, advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (KEYNOTE-061): a randomised, open-label, controlled, phase 3 trial

AU - Shitara, Kohei

AU - Özgüroğlu, Mustafa

AU - Bang, Yung-Jue

AU - Bartolomeo, Maria Di

AU - Mandalà, Mario

AU - Ryu, Min-Hee

AU - Fornaro, Lorenzo

AU - Olesiński, Tomasz

AU - Caglevic, Christian

AU - Chung, Hyun C

AU - Muro, Kei

AU - Goekkurt, Eray

AU - Mansoor, Wasat

AU - McDermott, Raymond S

AU - Shacham-Shmueli, Einat

AU - Chen, Xinqun

AU - Mayo, Carlos

AU - Kang, S Peter

AU - Ohtsu, Atsushi

AU - Fuchs, Charles S

AU - KEYNOTE-061 investigators

N1 - Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2018/7/14

Y1 - 2018/7/14

N2 - BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer that progresses on chemotherapy have poor outcomes. We compared pembrolizumab with paclitaxel in patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer that progressed on first-line chemotherapy with a platinum and fluoropyrimidine.METHODS: This randomised, open-label, phase 3 study was done at 148 medical centres in 30 countries. Eligible patients were randomised (1:1) in blocks of four per stratum with an interactive voice-response and integrated web-response system to receive either pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks for up to 2 years or standard-dose paclitaxel. Primary endpoints were overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with a programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score (CPS) of 1 or higher. Safety was assessed in all patients, irrespective of CPS. The significance threshold for overall survival was p=0·0135 (one-sided). This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02370498.FINDINGS: Between June 4, 2015, and July 26, 2016, 592 patients were enrolled. Of the 395 patients who had a PD-L1 CPS of 1 or higher, 196 patients were assigned to receive pembrolizumab and 199 patients were assigned to receive paclitaxel. As of Oct 26, 2017, 326 patients in the population with CPS of 1 or higher had died (151 [77%] of 196 patients in the pembrolizumab group and 175 [88%] of 199 patients in the paclitaxel group). Median overall survival was 9·1 months (95% CI 6·2-10·7) with pembrolizumab and 8·3 months (7·6-9·0) with paclitaxel (hazard ratio [HR] 0·82, 95% CI 0·66-1·03; one-sided p=0·0421). Median progression-free survival was 1·5 months (95% CI 1·4-2·0) with pembrolizumab and 4·1 months (3·1-4·2) with paclitaxel (HR 1·27, 95% CI 1·03-1·57). In the total population, grade 3-5 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 42 (14%) of the 294 patients treated with pembrolizumab and 96 (35%) of the 276 patients treated with paclitaxel.INTERPRETATION: Pembrolizumab did not significantly improve overall survival compared with paclitaxel as second-line therapy for advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer with PD-L1 CPS of 1 or higher. Pembrolizumab had a better safety profile than paclitaxel. Additional trials of pembrolizumab in gastric and gastro-oesophageal cancer are ongoing.FUNDING: Merck Sharp & Dohme, a subsidiary of Merck & Co.

AB - BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer that progresses on chemotherapy have poor outcomes. We compared pembrolizumab with paclitaxel in patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer that progressed on first-line chemotherapy with a platinum and fluoropyrimidine.METHODS: This randomised, open-label, phase 3 study was done at 148 medical centres in 30 countries. Eligible patients were randomised (1:1) in blocks of four per stratum with an interactive voice-response and integrated web-response system to receive either pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks for up to 2 years or standard-dose paclitaxel. Primary endpoints were overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with a programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score (CPS) of 1 or higher. Safety was assessed in all patients, irrespective of CPS. The significance threshold for overall survival was p=0·0135 (one-sided). This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02370498.FINDINGS: Between June 4, 2015, and July 26, 2016, 592 patients were enrolled. Of the 395 patients who had a PD-L1 CPS of 1 or higher, 196 patients were assigned to receive pembrolizumab and 199 patients were assigned to receive paclitaxel. As of Oct 26, 2017, 326 patients in the population with CPS of 1 or higher had died (151 [77%] of 196 patients in the pembrolizumab group and 175 [88%] of 199 patients in the paclitaxel group). Median overall survival was 9·1 months (95% CI 6·2-10·7) with pembrolizumab and 8·3 months (7·6-9·0) with paclitaxel (hazard ratio [HR] 0·82, 95% CI 0·66-1·03; one-sided p=0·0421). Median progression-free survival was 1·5 months (95% CI 1·4-2·0) with pembrolizumab and 4·1 months (3·1-4·2) with paclitaxel (HR 1·27, 95% CI 1·03-1·57). In the total population, grade 3-5 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 42 (14%) of the 294 patients treated with pembrolizumab and 96 (35%) of the 276 patients treated with paclitaxel.INTERPRETATION: Pembrolizumab did not significantly improve overall survival compared with paclitaxel as second-line therapy for advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer with PD-L1 CPS of 1 or higher. Pembrolizumab had a better safety profile than paclitaxel. Additional trials of pembrolizumab in gastric and gastro-oesophageal cancer are ongoing.FUNDING: Merck Sharp & Dohme, a subsidiary of Merck & Co.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31257-1

DO - 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31257-1

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 29880231

VL - 392

SP - 123

EP - 133

JO - LANCET

JF - LANCET

SN - 0140-6736

IS - 10142

ER -