“What we’re trying to do at Merck when designing clinical studies is evaluate what is the current standard of care, and do we think that Keytruda can improve on that,” Dr. Lubiniecki told SurvivorNet.

Immunotherapy works by helping the body’s immune system to recognize and get rid of cancer. Those in the industry are now trying to see if it can be used earlier in the treatment process and if combining it with other cancer therapies can yield even better results.

New Keytruda Combo Yields Exciting Results

Exciting new research has shown that for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients, Keytruda may significantly reduce the chance of the disease coming back or getting worse when given both before (in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy) and after lung cancer surgery.

“We tested this in the clinical study KEYNOTE-671,” Dr. Lubiniecki said. “We saw that … patients have a 42% reduction in risk of the cancer coming back or of patients dying from their cancer.

“This is a very substantial result,” he added. “We’re excited by this outcome for patients.”

The study also indicated that patients may live longer with this regimen than if they were given just chemotherapy before surgery. The results are particularly meaningful because many researchers, and the pharmaceutical companies they work with, are looking into whether the efficacy of these drugs can be super-charged by combining them with other treatments.

What Does This Mean for Lung Cancer Patients?

The number of patients who have been able to benefit from immunotherapy drugs like Keytruda has been increasing at a very rapid pace over the past few years. Merck and its competitors are devoting significant time and resources to determining the best practices for administering these groundbreaking drugs.

Immunotherapy drugs empower the body’s immune system to fight off cancer on its own. Keytruda works by interfering with signaling pathways between immune T cells and cancer cells, preventing cancer cells from hiding from the body's T cells.

Since non-small cell lung cancer is the most common form of the disease, these results may be significant for a wide range of patients.

In addition to continuing research on which patients should get Keytruda and when, the next steps involve getting government approval for widespread use, Dr. Lubiniecki explained.

“Patients should be able to discuss this regimen with their physician and decide if it is right for them,” Dr. Lubiniecki added, noting that once FDA approval is granted, physicians should be able to get patients access to these incredibly innovative treatments through their insurance companies.

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