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KEYNOTE-966

A second immunotherapy trial confirmed the modest survival benefit of adding PD-1 blockade to chemotherapy in bile duct cancer.

OS 12.7 vs 10.9 months (HR 0.83); gemcitabine continued beyond 8 cycles in both arms. Approved October 2023.

Setting
First-line advanced biliary tract cancer: gemcitabine-cisplatin + pembrolizumab vs + placebo
Phase
Phase 3
Sponsor
Merck
Registry
Headline result
OS 12.7 vs 10.9 months, HR 0.83.
Reported
2023
Enrolled
1069
Replication
Replicates TOPAZ-1.

Outcomes

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In plain words
What these results mean for people, not percentages
1,069 people took part
Overall survivalprimarysurvival endpoint
  • Median 12.7 vs 10.9 months with Pembrolizumab + GemCis compared with Placebo + GemCis; about 1.8 months longer for half the group.
  • A median is a midpoint: half the people did better than this and half did worse, so it is not a prediction for any one person.
  • Put another way, the treated group had about 17 percent lower chance of the event at any given time (hazard ratio 0.83, likely range 0.72 to 0.95).
  • Overall survival counts deaths from any cause, so it is the most direct measure of whether a treatment helps people live longer.
  • These results apply to the people the trial enrolled: First-line advanced biliary tract cancer: gemcitabine-cisplatin + pembrolizumab vs + placebo. People in a different situation may not see the same effect.

Numbers are from the trial as recorded here; see the source links in the table below. This is orientation, not medical advice: ask your team how closely the trial population matches you.

1,069 participants enrolled.

Overall survivalprimary
HR 0.83 (0.72–0.95) · p = 0.0034
Pembrolizumab + GemCis
12.7 mo
Placebo + GemCis
10.9 mo
EndpointArmnValueHR (95% CI)pSource
Overall survivalprimaryPembrolizumab + GemCis53312.7 months0.83 (0.72–0.95)0.0034
Placebo + GemCis53610.9 months
Replication
Replicates TOPAZ-1.

Connected

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