The safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

The safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2020 Mar 04;: Authors: Mazarico Gallego JM, Herrera Juárez M, Paz-Ares L Abstract Introduction: Lung cancer is the leading cancer-related cause of death worldwide. The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for the treatment of lung cancer has significantly improved the outcome of these patients. Pembrolizumab, a monoclonal IgG4-kappa antibody against programmed-death-1 (PD-1) protein, nowadays represents a standard of care for NSCLC patients. Although it has a favourable toxicity profile, some immune-related adverse events (irAEs) can be life-threatening, therefore its knowledge may help to optimize the care of these patients.Areas covered: The authors review data regarding efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab from the most relevant clinical trials as well as toxicities reported in the clinical use. Special considerations of use in special populations will be noted. Finally, its toxicity profile will be compared with other ICIs used in NSCLC.Expert opinion: In the scenario of NSCLC, pembrolizumab shows a favourable safety profile with less than 10% serious immune-related adverse events (irAEs) when used in monotherapy and without adding relevant extra-toxicity to chemotherapy when used in combination. Monotherapy with pembrolizumab is associated with better health-related quality of life than chemotherapy. Ea...
Source: Expert Opinion on Drug Safety - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Expert Opin Drug Saf Source Type: research