ASH 2020 | Phase II trial of pembrolizumab prior to allo-SCT in AML

Joshua Zeidner, MD, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC, shares the findings of a Phase II trial (NCT02768792) of high-dose cytarabine and subsequent pembrolizumab administration, prior to allogeneic stem cell transplant (alloSCT) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Pembrolizumab is a PD-1 monoclonal antibody which potentiates the immune response against leukemia cells. The trial compared 9 patients who received pembrolizumab prior to alloSCT to matched controls who did not, to assess the drug’s safety and efficacy. Acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) occurred at a similar pattern of severity in both cohorts, and few cases of chronic GVHD were reported in the pembrolizumab group. Overall survival was comparable between treatment and control groups but increases were seen in relapses and deaths in the treatment group. These increases were not significant and may reflect higher rates of measurable residual disease pre-transplant in the treatment group. This interview took place during the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, 2020.