Dr. Chung on the Rationale of the KEYNOTE-811 Trial in HER2+ Gastric Cancer

Hyun C. Chung, MD, PhD, professor at Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, Republic of Korea, discusses the rationale of the KEYNOTE-811 study in HER2-positive gastric cancer.

The KEYNOTE-811 trial looked at the combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) plus trastuzumab (Herceptin) and chemotherapy for patients with HER2-positive metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer. Investigators previously conducted chemotherapy plus anti-HER2 treatment in HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer. In the previous trial, researchers saw a benefit that ranged from 11 to 13 months. Since then, there have been no positive data on a specific targeting agent in HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer, says Chung.

Investigators hypothesized that the combination of a PD-1 inhibitor and anti-HER2 therapy would result in T-cell activation, augment antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and potentially activate an antitumor immune response in HER2-positive patients. The rationale was that this combination would be a promising option for recovering HER2 resistance, concludes Chung.