Study summary

Pembrolizumab added to chemoradiation without surgery missed its goal

KEYNOTE-412 trial · 804 people · Published March 2024, Lancet Oncology

What was tested

Pembrolizumab or placebo added to chemoradiation in head and neck cancer treated without surgery.

What they found

• The improvement in time without the cancer returning did not reach the trial's threshold for success.
• Serious side effects were common in both groups (92% vs 88%).

What it means

For mouth cancer, where surgery is the main treatment, immunotherapy around surgery looks more promising than with chemoradiation.