CHICAGO – Results from a phase I study of investigational PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab may point the way toward higher treatment response rates and less toxicity in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma.
Of 411 patients who took pembrolizumab, 1-year overall survival was 69%, and 88% of patients who had a treatment response continued to have a response at 1 year, reported Dr. Antoni Ribas, professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
In a video interview at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, Dr. Ribas discussed the study results and explained how PD-1 antibodies help the immune system recognize and mount a more potent T-cell–mediated defense against melanoma.