Pembrolizumab

Where the papers sit

68 papers from the last 6 months study pembrolizumab directly · updated from PubMed 12 Oct 2026

• Checkpoint Immunotherapy Response

  Checkpoint therapy is being refined through tumor and immune features that distinguish durable response from progression. dMMR, MSI-high status, POLE mutations, tumor mutational burden and intratumoral T-cell states recur as candidate biomarkers. Combination strategies include chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, metformin, DNA vaccines and enfortumab vedotin, but responses remain uneven across cancers. Hyperprogression and lineage plasticity underscore the need for better predictors beyond PD-1 pathway markers.

  26 papers · 38.2%

• Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

  Treatment is moving from pembrolizumab monotherapy toward biomarker-selected combinations and longer, individualized treatment duration in advanced NSCLC. PD-L1 status, plasma drug levels and tumor inflammation scores are being tested against response and survival, including in patients with brain metastases. Pneumonitis and pre-existing interstitial lung abnormalities remain important safety constraints. Sacituzumab tirumotecan, olaparib, lenvatinib and other combinations seek to improve progression-free and overall survival, while real-world studies test their value and cost.

  13 papers · 19.1%

• Enfortumab Vedotin in Urothelial Cancer

  Enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab is consolidating as a first-line strategy for advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Comparisons with gemcitabine plus cisplatin and avelumab maintenance focus on response, survival and feasibility in cisplatin-ineligible, elderly and very old patients. Real-world cohorts increasingly support activity outside trial populations, while pathologic complete responses extend interest into perioperative and upper-tract disease. Structured symptom monitoring and CD44-STAT3 biology highlight toxicity management and resistance as remaining gaps.

  12 papers · 17.6%

• Combination Therapy in Renal Cancer

  Advanced renal-cell carcinoma treatment is shifting toward immune-based combinations selected for disease setting, risk and tolerability. Lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab is being compared with nivolumab plus cabozantinib and evaluated in real-world populations, including East Asian patients. Adjuvant pembrolizumab, belzutifan combinations and denosumab extend investigation beyond metastatic disease. Comparative effectiveness, cost and tumour-agnostic reimbursement remain open questions alongside biomarkers of benefit.

  9 papers · 13.2%

• Immunotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

  Neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy is being evaluated as a route to higher pathologic complete response rates in triple-negative breast cancer. Carboplatin, gemcitabine and pembrolizumab regimens are being compared with chemotherapy alone, including in patients with germline risk factors. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and other clinical features are being tested as predictors of response. Sacituzumab tirumotecan combinations extend the question to advanced disease, including tumors with PD-L1 CPS below 1.

  5 papers · 7.4%

• Immune Toxicity and Myocarditis

  Risk stratification and safety monitoring are becoming central to pembrolizumab treatment in solid tumors. Immune-related adverse events recur across lung cancer and other cancers, with hemoglobin and baseline clinical factors among potential predictors. Proton pump inhibitors may influence both toxicity and efficacy, while dosage switching raises pharmacokinetic questions. The main unresolved issue is how to preserve antitumor benefit while identifying patients at greatest toxicity risk.

  3 papers · 4.4%