What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 520 patients with mesothelioma. The study was sponsored by Canadian Cancer Trials Group and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was mid-stage testing (phase 2/3). 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
Median survival rose from 16.1 to 17.3 months adding pembrolizumab.
The Lancet · 2023 · NCT02784171
These findings — that median survival on pembrolizumab + chemotherapy vs. chemotherapy alone in mesothelioma — were published in the The Lancet and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 520 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 mesothelioma, 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 (Keytruda) is FDA-approved for mesothelioma when combined with chemotherapy and is available now. The other approved first-line option is the nivolumab + ipilimumab immunotherapy combination. Ask a thoracic oncologist which fits your case.
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 mesothelioma trials
Agnostic Therapy in Rare Solid Tumors
The ANTARES study is a phase II basket trial designed to evaluate the tissue-agnostic efficacy of the monoclonal anti-PD1 antibody, nivolumab, in patients with advanced or metastatic rare tumors. The study aims to treat rare malignancies with PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥ 10), regardless of the tumor's tissue type or location. Patients who have not responded to standard treatments will be included, and treatment will last for up to 12 months. The study will assess objective response, progression-free survival, and biomarkers such as PD-L1, ctDNA, and microvesicles, in a multicenter collaborative effort to provide innovative therapeutic options for this underrepresented population
Pembrolizumab in Combination With Chemotherapy and Image-Guided Surgery for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM)
The study is a single-arm phase I trial to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of the addition of pembrolizumab and image-guided resection to surgical therapy and chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).