Dr. Reardon on the KEYNOTE-028 Trial of Pembrolizumab for GBM
David Reardon, MD, clinical director at the Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses results of the KEYNOTE-028 trial exploring pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as a treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
Despite being a small single-arm study, the results were exciting in the realm of brain cancer and immunotherapy, Reardon says. The agent was well-tolerated with no unusual side effects, which is especially important for patients with GBM as side effects can often be more difficult in this population.
As for efficacy, the trial saw a progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 6 months of 45%. Historically, the 6-month PFS rate with salvage treatment for patients with GBM is just 10%, Reardon notes. For bevacizumab, the 6-month PFS rate is about 40%. More exciting is the fact that a subset of patients maintained their progression-free status for 80 weeks, exhibiting a "tail of the curve," Reardon says.
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