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Does Adding Immunotherapy to Chemotherapy Improve Outcomes in Stomach Cancer?

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Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy Versus Chemotherapy as Perioperative Therapy in Locally Advanced Gastric and Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer DOI- 10.1200JCO-25-00486

For people with advanced but operable stomach or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, treatment usually involves chemotherapy and surgery. This new study tested whether adding an immunotherapy drug, pembrolizumab, to chemotherapy could help patients live longer and stay cancer-free.

In the KEYNOTE-585 trial, over 1,000 patients were given either:

⦿ Chemotherapy with pembrolizumab (before and after surgery), or

⦿ Chemotherapy with a placebo

Patients were followed for about five years. The group that got pembrolizumab had:

⦿ A median survival of 72 months, compared to 56 months in the placebo group

⦿ Slightly better event-free survival, meaning they went longer without cancer coming back or getting worse

⦿ Similar rates of serious side effects (65% vs. 63%)

⦿ No difference in quality of life, according to patient surveys

These results suggest that adding pembrolizumab to standard treatment may help some patients live longer, without affecting their daily well-being.

If you’re facing surgery for advanced stomach or GEJ cancer, ask your care team whether immunotherapy is part of the treatment plan and whether it might be right for you.

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Dr Harsh Shah - GI & HPB Oncosurgeon in Ahmeadbad
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