Trial results for pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with malignant mesothelioma were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-05-08. The Phase 2 study, NCT02399371, reported a median overall survival of 11.9 months and a disease control rate of 62.5% for participants receiving the treatment.
Background
Pembrolizumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) protein. By blocking PD-1, it aims to stimulate an immune response against tumor cells. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the lining of the lungs (pleura) or abdomen (peritoneum).
Trial design
This completed Phase 2 trial (NCT02399371) enrolled 65 participants with malignant mesothelioma, including those with Biphasic Mesothelioma, Epithelioid Mesothelioma, Peritoneal Malignant Mesothelioma, Pleural Biphasic Mesothelioma, and Pleural Epithelioid Mesothelioma. The study investigated the efficacy of pembrolizumab as a treatment.
Key results
Key outcomes reported for participants receiving pembrolizumab included:
- Median Overall Survival (OS): 11.9 Months
- Median Progression Free Survival (PFS): 4.1 Months
- Disease Control Rate (CR + PR + SD): 62.5 percentage of participants
- Median Duration of Response: 11.7 Months
- Ability of PD-L1 to Predict Response (Youden index): 0.377
- Incidence of Toxicities Graded According to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Version 4.0: 64 Participants
What this means
The results from this Phase 2 trial provide insights into the activity of pembrolizumab in malignant mesothelioma. A median overall survival of 11.9 months and a disease control rate of 62.5% suggest potential clinical benefit in this patient population. These findings contribute to the understanding of immunotherapy's role in treating different subtypes of mesothelioma.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for study NCT02399371, titled "Pembrolizumab in Treating Patients With Malignant Mesothelioma," were posted on 2026-05-08 on clinicaltrials.gov.