On the 23rd, a Keytruda press conference was held at The Plaza Hotel.
Keytruda (generic name: pembrolizumab) is an immune checkpoint inhibitor used in the treatment of various types of cancer. Initially used as an option for metastatic lung cancer treatment, its indications expanded last December to include adjuvant therapy for operable non-small cell lung cancer patients before and after surgery. Subsequently, on the 14th, it was approved as adjuvant therapy after surgery for non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent resection surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. In other words, its applications in the treatment of lung cancer have expanded from early to advanced stages. Minhee Lee, Head of the Korean MSD Oncology Department, stated that the expansion of Keytruda’s indications adds a new treatment option for lung cancer with high risk of recurrence and poor prognosis.
During this press conference, Professor Sehun Lee from the Hematology-Oncology Department at Samsung Medical Center presented the results of a phase 3 clinical trial under the theme ‘Clinical Significance of Keytruda in Early Lung Cancer Treatment’. The trial compared the efficacy of Keytruda used as adjuvant therapy before and after surgery with the standard treatment for non-small cell lung cancer patients. The Keytruda treatment group received Keytruda for up to 4 cycles before surgery and up to 13 cycles for one year after surgery. The results showed a 28% reduction in the risk of death, a 41% reduction in the risk of recurrence after surgery, and a more than 4-fold higher rate of pathological complete response compared to the control group (Keytruda treatment group 18.1% vs. control group 4%).
Professor Sehun Lee described the results as very encouraging in terms of improving the quality of life of lung cancer patients and reducing the recurrence rate. He also emphasized the need for further research in new directions, such as adding cancer vaccines to immune checkpoint inhibitors to enhance treatment efficacy.
Subsequently, Professor Hongkwan Kim from the Thoracic Surgery Department at Samsung Medical Center presented ‘Clinical Significance of Adjuvant Therapy Before and After Surgery in Surgically Treatable Early Lung Cancer Patients from the Perspective of Thoracic Surgery’. Typically, stages 1-3 lung cancer undergo surgical resection for curative purposes as the standard treatment. However, there are cases where surgery is not feasible or prognosis remains poor despite resection due to factors such as tumor size, location, invasion of adjacent organs, and lymph node involvement.
Professor Hongkwan Kim mentioned that administering immune checkpoint inhibitors before and after surgery had a positive impact on the efficacy of surgery by reducing tumor size and lowering the risks of metastasis and recurrence. He emphasized the importance of identifying patient populations where the new treatment methods are beneficial without leading to overtreatment and ensuring careful application of the treatment based on factors like patient response to anticancer drugs and initial tumor size.
Sujeong Kim, Head of the Medical Department at Korean MSD, stated that Keytruda holds the most indications among immune checkpoint inhibitors approved in the field of non-small cell lung cancer in Korea. She mentioned that ongoing clinical studies worldwide by MSD include a total of 41 lung cancer studies, with 28 studies being conducted in Korea.
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