What the trial was testing
The KEYNOTE-177 enrolled 307 patients with colorectal cancer. The study was sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
Pembrolizumab doubled the time before cancer worsened — 16.5 months versus 8.2 months with chemotherapy.
The New England journal of medicine · 2020 · NCT02563002
These findings — that time before cancer worsened was doubled with pembrolizumab — were published in the The New England journal of medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 307 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with colorectal cancer, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Pembrolizumab is FDA-approved for MSI-H or dMMR colorectal cancer. If you have advanced colorectal cancer, ask your doctor about testing your tumor for MSI-H or dMMR status. If positive, pembrolizumab may be an option as first-line treatment instead of chemotherapy.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open colorectal cancer trials
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This is a phase 1 multi-center, open-label study evaluating IBI3028 Treatment in participants with locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic solid tumors