# SARC028: pembrolizumab in advanced soft tissue and bone sarcoma

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-sarc028-pembrolizumab-sarcoma-tawbi-lancet-oncol-2017/  
OnCo record `paper-sarc028-pembrolizumab-sarcoma-tawbi-lancet-oncol-2017` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Pembrolizumab had little effect in most sarcomas, but it shrank tumours in about 40 percent of patients with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and some with dedifferentiated liposarcoma, singling out these subtypes for immunotherapy.

## Summary

Phase 2 study of 86 patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, dedifferentiated liposarcoma, synovial sarcoma, leiomyosarcoma) or bone sarcoma treated with pembrolizumab.

Objective response was 18 percent in soft tissue sarcoma, driven by 40 percent in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and 20 percent in dedifferentiated liposarcoma, with no responses in leiomyosarcoma and one in synovial sarcoma; bone sarcoma response was 5 percent.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-17
- Journal: The Lancet Oncology
- Year: 2017
- DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30624-1
- Authors: Tawbi HA, Burgess M, Bolejack V, et al.
- Findings: Objective response 40 percent in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma; 20 percent in dedifferentiated liposarcoma.; 0 percent in leiomyosarcoma; 5 percent in bone sarcomas.
- What it means: PD-1 blockade is an off-label or trial option specifically for undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and dedifferentiated liposarcoma, not for sarcoma in general.
- Caveats: Small cohorts of about 10 patients per histology; expansion cohorts confirmed lower rates (about 23 percent) in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma.

## Sources

- Lancet Oncol 2017: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30624-1
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28988646/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS)](https://onco.cc/cancers/undifferentiated-pleomorphic-sarcoma/)
- drugs: [Pembrolizumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/pembrolizumab/)
- trials: [SARC028](https://onco.cc/trials/sarc028/)
- journals: [The Lancet Oncology](https://onco.cc/journals/lancet-oncology/)

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