Pembrolizumab (PD-1) + Chemotherapy Sustains 5-Year OS Benefit in 1L Advanced Cervical Cancer

Pembrolizumab is a PD-1–blocking antibody added to platinum–taxane chemotherapy, with or without bevacizumab, for previously untreated persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer; in the US, this combination is approved for tumors with PD-L1 CPS≥1. In the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-826 trial (n=617), after 59.1 months of median follow-up, median OS was 28.6 vs 16.5 months in patients with PD-L1 CPS≥1 tumors (HR 0.62) and 26.4 vs 16.8 months in the overall population (HR 0.64); PFS benefits were similarly sustained (CPS≥1: 10.5 vs 8.2 months, HR 0.58; ITT: 10.4 vs 8.2 months, HR 0.61). No new safety signals or additional treatment-related deaths emerged; historically, chemotherapy + bevacizumab produced median OS of 16.8 months vs 13.3 months with chemotherapy alone in GOG-240.