# KEYNOTE-629: pembrolizumab monotherapy for recurrent or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-keynote-629-pembrolizumab-cscc-grob-jco-2020/  
OnCo record `paper-keynote-629-pembrolizumab-cscc-grob-jco-2020` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Pembrolizumab shrank tumours in about a third of patients with recurrent or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, with most responses lasting beyond a year, leading to its approval as an alternative to cemiplimab.

## Summary

Phase 2 study of 105 patients with recurrent or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, most previously treated, given pembrolizumab every three weeks.

Objective response was 34.3 percent with complete response in 3.8 percent, median duration of response not reached, median progression-free survival 6.9 months, and toxicity typical of PD-1 blockade; a later cohort in locally advanced disease responded in about half.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-17
- Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Year: 2020
- DOI: 10.1200/JCO.19.03054
- Authors: Grob JJ, Gonzalez R, Basset-Seguin N, et al.
- Findings: Objective response 34.3 percent; median duration of response not reached.; Median progression-free survival 6.9 months.
- What it means: Pembrolizumab is an approved first-line option for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma alongside cemiplimab.
- Caveats: Single-arm; lower response rate than cemiplimab in cross-trial comparison, partly reflecting more prior treatment.

## Sources

- J Clin Oncol 2020: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.19.03054
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32673170/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/advanced-cutaneous-scc/)
- drugs: [Pembrolizumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/pembrolizumab/)
- trials: [KEYNOTE-629](https://onco.cc/trials/keynote-629/)
- journals: [Journal of Clinical Oncology](https://onco.cc/journals/jco/)

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