Is pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib effective in recurrent/advanced endometrial cancer?

Combination treatment with pembrolizumab and lenvatinib appears to be a better option for patients with recurrent endometrial cancer (REC) or advanced endometrial cancer (AEC) with a platinum-free interval (PFI) of <6 months, suggests a recent study.

For patients with a PFI of ≥6 months, pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib or platinum-containing chemotherapy can be used depending on the degree of residual side effects from cytotoxic agents, according to the investigators.

This retrospective analysis assessed the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall response rate (ORR) of patients with REC or AEC retreated with platinum-containing chemotherapy based on the PFI. The investigators compared their findings with those of the KEYNOTE-775 study that used pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib.

Sixty-five patients with REC or AEC retreated with platinum-containing chemotherapy between 2005 and 2020 were included in this study.

The investigators analysed the following clinicopathologic variables: age, performance status, histology, history of pelvic irradiation in the adjuvant setting, PFI, chemotherapy regimen, PFS and overall survival after retreatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy, and best ORR. They also carried out survival analyses using Kaplan‒Meier curves and log-rank tests.

In patients with REC or AEC with a PFI ≥6 months, the best ORR was 43.3 percent and the best PFS was 9.5 months. These results were similar to those of patients treated with pembrolizumab and lenvatinib.

On the other hand, in patients with a PFI <6 months, the best ORR and PFS seemed inferior to those of patients who received pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib.