The phase 3 KEYNOTE-C93 trial showed that pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is more effective than standard chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced or recurrent mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) endometrial cancer. The study included 299 patients who had not received previous chemotherapy for advanced disease or whose cancer returned more than six months after adjuvant treatment.
Patients treated with pembrolizumab experienced significantly longer progression-free survival, meaning their cancer took longer to worsen compared with those receiving the standard combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin. Pembrolizumab also produced higher tumor response rates and longer-lasting responses.
Early results suggest a trend toward improved overall survival, although more follow-up is needed to confirm this benefit. The safety profile was consistent with previous studies, with no new side effects identified.
The findings suggest that pembrolizumab could become a chemotherapy-free first-line treatment option for patients with advanced or recurrent dMMR endometrial cancer.
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