Advanced stomach cancer (HER2-negative gastric or GEJ)
A FIRST TREATMENT OPTION FOR CERTAIN ADULTS WITH ADVANCED STOMACH CANCER
IT’S TRU. KEYTRUDA.

Understanding KEYTRUDA
KEYTRUDA is an FDA-approved immunotherapy. Learn how KEYTRUDA works with your immune system.
What to know about side effects. Consult your doctor right away if you experience any.
Looking for information on what to expect while taking KEYTRUDA? Explore resources and find local support.
Is KEYTRUDA right for you?
Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, begins when cells in the stomach start to grow out of control. Cancer can also develop in the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), which is where the esophagus joins the stomach. When the cancer has spread, it is known as advanced gastric or GEJ cancer.
Understanding the need for biomarker testing
Everyone’s advanced stomach cancer is different. To help develop a treatment plan that’s right for you, your doctor may order biomarker tests. These tests can measure your tumor for different biomarkers, including HER2 and PD-L1.
- HER2 is a protein in your body that helps cells grow. Some types of cancer cells produce more HER2 than normal. This may cause the cancer cells to grow more quickly or spread to other parts of the body.
- PD-L1 is a type of protein found on some normal (and cancer) cells in your body. Some cancer cells have large amounts of PD-L1, which helps them hide from an immune attack.
- KEYTRUDA may be used in adults in combination with fluoropyrimidine and platinum chemotherapy when your stomach cancer is HER2-negative, and your tumor tests positive for “PD-L1,” and has spread or cannot be removed by surgery (advanced gastric cancer).
Talk to your doctor to see if a biomarker test is right for you.
How a biomarker test works:
- A tissue sample (biopsy) of your tumor is taken, and your doctor orders the biomarker test. If you’ve already had a biopsy, you may not have to get another one. Your doctor may be able to test your previous sample.
- Your doctor gets the results.
- You talk with your doctor to discuss treatment options based on your biomarker test results.
- Will you be testing the stomach cancer tumor for biomarkers, including HER2 and PD-L1?
- How would this test be helpful in determining my treatment plan?
- Is KEYTRUDA + chemotherapy right for me?
Clinical Trial Results
As a first treatment, KEYTRUDA + chemotherapy has been shown to help people live longer compared to chemotherapy alone
A clinical trial compared adults with advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma who received KEYTRUDA in combination with chemotherapy with those who received chemotherapy alone. All adults in the trial had no previous drug treatment for advanced disease, and their tumors tested negative for HER2. Among the 1,579 people enrolled in the trial, 1,235 (78% of patients) had tumors expressing PD-L1 (CPS ≥1). Of these PD-L1 positive patients, a total of 618 adults received 200 mg of KEYTRUDA every 3 weeks with chemotherapy, and 617 adults received chemotherapy alone.
HER2 = human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.
PD-L1 = programmed death ligand 1.
CPS = combined positive score.
More people lived longer with KEYTRUDA + chemotherapy
KEYTRUDA + chemotherapy reduced the risk of disease spreading, growing, or getting worse by 28% compared to chemotherapy alone
Half of the people receiving KEYTRUDA with chemotherapy were alive without their cancer spreading, growing, or getting worse at 6.9 months, compared to 5.6 months for people receiving chemotherapy alone. Cancer did not progress in 28% (175 out of 618) of adults receiving KEYTRUDA with chemotherapy compared to 22% (134 out of 617) of adults receiving chemotherapy alone.
More people had their tumors shrink
Duration of response
The median response rate was 8.3 months for adults taking KEYTRUDA with chemotherapy (range: 1.2+ to 41.5+ months), compared to 5.6 months for adults taking chemotherapy alone (range: 1.3+ to 34.2+ months).
Understanding different types of results
There’s a lot to learn about your diagnosis. Your doctor may use several terms to talk about treatment goals, and it’s important you understand them.
Living longer
One way your doctor may determine which medicine to choose is overall survival (OS). This is a measurement of time from the start of treatment and measures the length of time a person is alive.
Time without the cancer spreading, growing, or getting worse
Your doctor may measure the amount of time the cancer is not getting worse or spreading. This is called progression-free survival (PFS).
Getting tumors to shrink
Another goal is to have your tumors shrink (get smaller) or disappear. Your doctor may refer to this as objective response rate, or ORR. When a tumor becomes smaller, it is called a partial response. When it disappears, this is called a complete response.
Time responding to treatment
Your doctor may also measure the duration of response (DOR), which is how long you respond to treatment until the time that you are no longer responding.