Pembrolizumab Demonstrates Activity in Patients With Advanced NETs

Pembrolizumab has demonstrated activity in patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), according to a meta-analysis presented in a poster at ASCO Breakthrough 2023.

This meta-analysis included 5 cohorts from 4 clinical trials. The studies encompassed 177 patients with gastrointestinal, pancreatic, lung, and lower genital tract NETs.

All patients received pembrolizumab, mostly as a single agent. In one trial, patients also received lanreotide depot.

In a pooled analysis of all data, the objective response rate (ORR) was 5.3%, and the disease control rate (DCR) was 5.4%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.4 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 23.3 months. Serious adverse events (AEs) occurred in 20.9% of patients.

The researchers also presented individual analyses from the trials. In the KEYNOTE-158 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02628067), among patients with lung and gastroenteropancreatic NETs, the ORR and DCR were both 3.7%. The median PFS was 4.1 months, the median OS was 24.2 months, and the incidence of serious AEs was 21.5%.

In the KEYNOTE-28 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02054806), among patients with carcinoid tumors, the ORR and DCR were both 12.0%. The median PFS was 5.6 months, the median OS was 21.1 months, and the incidence of serious AEs was 20.0%.

In another analysis of data from the KEYNOTE-28 trial that included patients with pancreatic NETs, the ORR and DCR were both 6.3%. The median PFS was 4.5 months, the median OS was 21.0 months, and the incidence of serious AEs was 6.3%.

In a phase 2 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02721732), among patients with lower genital tract NETs, the median PFS was 2.1 months, and the incidence of serious AEs was 29.0%. Data on ORR, DCR, and OS were not available.

The final trial, PLANET (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03043664), enrolled patients with gastroenteropancreatic NETs, and they received pembrolizumab plus lanreotide depot. In this cohort, the ORR was 4.5%, the median PFS was 5.4 months, and the incidence of serious AEs was 27.3%. Data on DCR and OS were not available.

“Pembrolizumab demonstrated statistically significant efficacy … in a subset of patients with NETs and was overall well tolerated,” the researchers wrote in their poster.

Reference

Chitkara A, Patel R, Anamika F, et al. Efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab in advanced neuroendocrine tumors (NETs): A meta-analysis of clinical trials. ASCO Breakthrough 2023. August 3-5, 2023. Abstract 165.

This article originally appeared on Cancer Therapy Advisor