KEYNOTE-859: 4.5-year median follow-up of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy for previously untreated advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma.
4036 Background: In the phase 3KEYNOTE-859 study (NCT03675737), first-linepembrolizumab (pembro) + chemotherapy (chemo) continued to provide longer OS (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.71-0.88) and PFS (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.68-0.85), and a higher ORR (51.0% vs 42.0%) vs placebo + chemo in participants (pts) with HER2-negative G/GEJ adenocarcinoma, after a median follow-up of 41.6 mo (August 22, 2023). We present results after an additional 13 mo of follow-up. Methods: Eligible pts with untreated locally advanced or metastatic HER2-negative G/GEJ adenocarcinoma with PD-L1 status, measurable disease, and ECOG PS 0 or 1 were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive pembro 200 mg or placebo IV Q3W for ≤35 cycles + investigator’s choice of chemo (5-FU + cisplatin [FP] vs capecitabine + oxaliplatin [CAPOX]). The primary end point was OS. Secondary end points included PFS, ORR, and DOR, all per RECIST v1.1 by BICR, and safety. The data cutoff was September 27, 2024. Results: Median follow-up was 54.8 mo (Q1-Q3, 46.8-62.1). In all randomly assigned pts in the intention-to-treat population (N = 1579), median OS was 12.9 mo (95% CI, 11.9-14.0) for pembro + chemo vs 11.5 mo (95% CI, 10.6-12.1) for placebo + chemo (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.70-0.86). In pts with PD-L1 CPS ≥1, median OS was 13.0 mo (95% CI, 11.6-14.2) vs 11.4 mo (95% CI, 10.5-12.0; HR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.66-0.84]). In pts with PD-L1 CPS ≥10, median OS was 15.8 mo (95% CI, 14.0-19.3) vs 11.8 mo (95% CI, 10.3-12.7; HR, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.53-0.77]). PFS, ORR, and DOR were also consistent between the intention-to-treat population and pts with PD-L1 CPS ≥1 and PD-L1 CPS ≥10 (Table). Treatment-related AEs were reported in 751 pts (95.7%; grade 3-5, 466 [59.4%]) for pembro + chemo and 736 (93.5%; grade 3-5, 404 [51.3%]) for placebo + chemo. Conclusions: Pembro + chemo continued to show improved OS, PFS, and ORR vs placebo + chemo after a median study follow-up of 54.8 mo, regardless of PD-L1 status. The findings further support pembro + chemo as a first-line treatment option for locally advanced or metastatic HER2-negative G/GEJ adenocarcinoma. Clinical trial information: NCT03675737 . All ptsN = 1579 PD-L1 CPS ≥1n = 1235 PD-L1 CPS ≥10n = 553 Pembro + chemo n = 790 Pbo + chemo n = 789 Pembro + chemo n = 618 Pbo + chemo n = 617 Pembro + chemo n = 280 Pbo + chemo n = 273 OS, median (95% CI), mo 12.9 (11.9-14.0) 11.5 (10.6-12.1) 13.0 (11.6-14.2) 11.4 (10.5-12.0) 15.8 (14.0-19.3) 11.8 (10.3-12.7) HR (95% CI) 0.78 (0.70-0.86) 0.74 (0.66-0.84) 0.64 (0.53-0.77) PFS, median (95% CI), mo 6.9 (6.3-7.2) 5.6 (5.5-5.7) 6.9 (6.0-7.2) 5.6 (5.4-5.7) 7.8 (6.8-8.5) 5.6 (5.4-6.7) HR (95% CI) 0.76 (0.68-0.85) 0.72 (0.64-0.82) 0.62 (0.51-0.76) ORR, % (95% CI) 51.1 (47.6-54.7) 42.0 (38.5-45.5) 51.9 (47.9-55.9) 42.6 (38.7-46.6) 60.4 (54.4-66.1) 43.2 (37.3-49.3) DOR, median (range), mo 8.0(1.2+ to 66.3+) 5.7(1.3+ to 58.1+) 8.3(1.2+ to 66.3+) 5.6(1.3+ to 58.1+) 10.0(1.2+ to 66.3+) 5.7(1.4+ to 55.0+)
Authors
- Pooja Bhagia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6312-7397)
- Jeeyun Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4911-6165)
- M. Fernández (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7468-2700)
- Kai‐Keen Shiu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6202-9640)
- Sun Young Rha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2512-4531)
- Gustavo Vasconcelos Alves (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4985-5555)
- Felipe José Silva Melo Cruz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4558-4850)
- Timuçin Çil (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5033-1479)
- P. Leconte
- Lucjan Wyrwicz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0808-6892)
- Maeve A. Lowery (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1354-7606)
- Do‐Youn Oh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1663-9901)
- Marcelo Garrido (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8905-8986)
- P.E. Yanez Weber
- Shukui Qin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3414-2790)
- Jin Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0099-874X)
- Min‐Hee Ryu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1033-1263)
- Yuxian Bai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5004-7523)
- Fernando Rivera
Institutions
- Ulsan College (KR)
- Universidad de La Frontera (CL)
- Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (United States) (US)
- University College Hospital (GB)
- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Seoul National University (KR)
- Harbin Medical University (CN)
- China Pharmaceutical University (CN)
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (CL)
- Asan Medical Center (KR)
- Samsung Medical Center (KR)
- University of Ulsan (KR)
- Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (ES)
- Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (CN)
- Instituto de Investigación Marqués de Valdecilla (ES)
- Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição (BR)
- Shanghai East Hospital (CN)
- The Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology (PL)
- St. James's Hospital (IE)
- Yonsei University Health System (KR)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Controle do Câncer (BR)
- University College London (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Published
- 2025-05-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2025.43.16_suppl.4036
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Gastric Cancer Management and Outcomes
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.04