Harry H. Yoon, MD, ​associate professor of oncology, consultant, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, co-chair, Esophageal/Gastric Cancer Disease Group, Mayo Clinic, discusses the updated results of the phase 3 KEYNOTE-061 trial in advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer.

Prior to the KEYNOTE-061 trial, randomized data suggested that nivolumab (Opdivo) was superior to placebo in patients with previously treated advanced gastric/GEJ cancer, says Yoon. However, data also showed that PD-L1 inhibitors did not outperform chemotherapy as third-line treatment. 

The KEYNOTE-061 study randomized previously treated patients with PD-L1–positive advanced gastric/GEJ cancer to receive pembrolizumab (Keytruda) or paclitaxel in the second-line setting, Yoon explains. The long-term findings showed that pembrolizumab elicited a shorter progression-free survival and similar overall survival compared with chemotherapy. 

Further research is needed to determine why the PFS was shorter but the OS was sustained, Yoon concludes. 

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Harry H. Yoon, MD, discusses the updated results of the phase 3 KEYNOTE-061 trial in advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer.

Dr. Yoon on Updated Results of the KEYNOTE-061 Study in Advanced Gastric/GEJ Cancer 

Harry H. Yoon, MD, associate professor of oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the benefits demonstrated with nivolumab (Opdivo) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for patients with gastric cancer.

The degree of benefit for nivolumab is higher than what has been seen with other biologic agents and was well tolerated for patients with gastric cancer, explains Yoon.

Additionally, the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab showed a similar level of benefit or response in a single-arm phase II study as nivolumab, states Yoon. Now, there are 2 different agents targeting PD-1 showing similar efficacy. The FDA recently approved pembrolizumab for the treatment of patients with PD-L1—positive recurrent or advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma who have received 2 or more lines of chemotherapy, including fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, and, if appropriate, HER2/neu-targeted therapy.

Harry H. Yoon, MD

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