Keynote-826: A Phase Iii Randomized Study Of Chemotherapy With Or Without Pembrolizumab For First-Line Treatment Of Persistent, Recurrent, Or Metastatic Cervical Cancer

Background Patients with advanced cervical cancer comprise a high-risk, poor prognostic group. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has emerged as a therapeutic target for these patients, though incorporation of the anti-VEGF agent bevacizumab to platinum- and taxane-based chemotherapy (CT) is associated with a modest OS benefit vs CT alone (median OS, 16.8 vs 13.3 mo; hazard ratio, 0.77, 95% CI, 0.62-0.95; P = 0.007; Tewari et al. Lancet. 2017). On the basis of an ORR of 14.3% (95% CI, 7.4-24.1) among 77 pretreated women with PD-L1–positive tumors in the cervical cancer cohort of KEYNOTE-158 (Chung et al. J Clin Oncol. 2019), the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab was granted accelerated approval by the US FDA for patients with PD-L1–positive (combined positive score [CPS] of > 1) cervical cancer who had progressed during or after first-line CT. KEYNOTE-826 (NCT03635567) is a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, multinational study designed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of CT with or without pembrolizumab and/or bevacizumab in the first-line setting. Trial design Eligible patients with recurrent, persistent, or metastatic cervical cancer not previously treated with CT in a recurrent or metastatic setting who are not amenable to curative treatment will be randomized 1:1 to CT + pembrolizumab 200 mg or placebo every 3 weeks. The CT regimen (paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 + cisplatin 50 mg/m2 or carboplatin AUC 5, with or without bevacizumab 15 mg/kg) will be selected by the investigator before randomization. Stratification will be performed by metastasis status at diagnosis, planned bevacizumab use (yes/no), and tumor PD-L1 CPS ( Clinical trial identification NCT03635567. Legal entity responsible for the study Merck & Co., Inc. Funding Funding for this study was provided by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA. Disclosure K. Fujiwara: Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Chugai Pharma; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Eisai; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Merck Sharpe & Dohme Corp.; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Pfizer; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution): Taiho Pharmaceutical; Advisory / Consultancy: Takeda; Honoraria (self): Bayer; Honoraria (self): Daiichi Sankyo; Honoraria (self): Janssen Oncology; Honoraria (self): Kyowa Hakko Kirin; Honoraria (self): Lilly Japan; Honoraria (self): Nippon Kayaku; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Ono Pharmaceutical; Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (institution): Zeria Pharmaceutical; Research grant / Funding (institution): GlaxoSmithKline; Research grant / Funding (institution): Kaken Pharmaceutical; Research grant / Funding (institution): Immunogen; Research grant / Funding (institution): Lilly; Research grant / Funding (institution): Oncotherapeutics. R. Shapira-Frommer: Honoraria (self): MSD Oncology; Honoraria (self): Bristol-Myers Squibb; Honoraria (self): Novartis; Honoraria (self): Roche; Honoraria (self): AstraZeneca; Advisory / Consultancy: Vascular Biogenics; Advisory / Consultancy: Clovis Oncology. J. Alexandre: Honoraria (self): Roche/Genentech; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Novartis ; Honoraria (self): Sanofi/Aventis; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Ipsen; Advisory / Consultancy: Roche; Advisory / Consultancy: Sanofi; Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Janssen. B. Monk: Advisory / Consultancy: AbbVie; Advisory / Consultancy: Advaxis; Advisory / Consultancy: Agenus; Advisory / Consultancy: Amgen; Advisory / Consultancy: AstraZeneca; Advisory / Consultancy: Biodesix; Advisory / Consultancy: Clovis Oncology; Advisory / Consultancy: Conjupro; Advisory / Consultancy: Genmab; Advisory / Consultancy: Gradalis; Advisory / Consultancy: ImmunoGen; Advisory / Consultancy: Immunomedics; Advisory / Consultancy: Incyte; Advisory / Consultancy: Janssen/JohnsonJ Advisory / Consultancy: Mateon (formally Oxigene); Advisory / Consultancy: Merck; Advisory / Consultancy: Myriad; Advisory / Consultancy: Perthera; Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy: Precison Oncology. T. Fehm: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Novartis; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Roche; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer. N. Colombo: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Roche/Genentech; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self): TESARO, Inc.; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: PharmaMar; Advisory / Consultancy: Clovis Oncology; Advisory / Consultancy: Pfizer; Advisory / Consultancy: MSD Oncology; Advisory / Consultancy: Takeda; Advisory / Consultancy: TESARO, Inc.; Advisory / Consultancy: BioCad. K. Hasegawa: Honoraria (self), Research grant / Funding (self): Daiichi-Sankyo; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Merck Sharpe & Dohme Corp.; Honoraria (self): Chugai; Honoraria (self): AstraZeneca; Research grant / Funding (self): Yakult Honsha; Research grant / Funding (self): Pfizer. J.J. Li: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses, Full / Part-time employment: Merck & Co., Inc.; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses, Spouse / Financial dependant: Celgene. K. Stein: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: Merck & Co., Inc.; Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options: Novartis. S.M. Keefe: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses, Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: Merck & Co., Inc. K. Tewari: Honoraria (self): TESARO, Inc.; Honoraria (self): Clovis Oncology; Advisory / Consultancy, Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Roche/Genentech; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony: AstraZeneca ; Speaker Bureau / Expert testimony, Research grant / Funding (institution): Merck; Research grant / Funding (institution): AbbVie; Research grant / Funding (institution): Morphotek; Research grant / Funding (institution): Regeneron. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.