Non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
RESULTS FOR A TREATMENT PLAN WITH KEYTRUDA
For early-stage NSCLC that can be removed by surgery

KEYTRUDA can be used as part of a treatment plan that may help prevent early-stage NSCLC from coming back after surgery
KEYTRUDA may be used in combination with chemotherapy medicines before surgery when you have early-stage non–small cell lung cancer, which can be removed by surgery, and then continued alone after surgery to help prevent lung cancer from coming back.
Results from a clinical trial with KEYTRUDA
A clinical trial of 797 patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer compared the following 2 groups receiving different treatments:
Group 1 (KEYTRUDA + chemotherapy followed by KEYTRUDA alone)
200 mg of KEYTRUDA every 3 weeks plus chemotherapy before surgery
Then: 200 mg of KEYTRUDA alone every 3 weeks after surgery
Group 2 (Placebo* + chemotherapy followed by placebo alone)
Placebo* every 3 weeks plus chemotherapy before surgery
Then: Placebo alone every 3 weeks after surgery
*Placebo = an inactive treatment given instead of an active treatment.
More patients lived longer
†Cisplatin and either pemetrexed or gemcitabine.
More patients did not have their cancer get worse or come back
†Cisplatin and either pemetrexed or gemcitabine.
The phrase “cancer did not get worse or come back” refers to event-free survival (EFS), which is the length of time once treatment begins and a person survives until experiencing certain complications or events. These may include cancer growing or spreading that would prevent surgery, or cancer growing or returning after surgery.
More patients who received KEYTRUDA + chemotherapy had no cancer cells found at the time of surgery compared to patients who received placebo + chemotherapy
In the clinical trial, 18.1% (72 out of 397) of patients treated with KEYTRUDA in combination with chemotherapy that contains platinum and another chemotherapy medicine before surgery had no cancer cells found at the time of surgery compared to 4.0% (16 out of 400) of patients who received placebo + chemotherapy before surgery.
More patients who received KEYTRUDA + chemotherapy had less than or equal to 10% of cancer cells found at the time of surgery compared to patients who received placebo + chemotherapy
In the clinical trial, 30.2% (120 out of 397) of patients treated with KEYTRUDA in combination with chemotherapy that contains platinum and another chemotherapy medicine before surgery had less than or equal to 10% of cancer cells found at the time of surgery compared to 11.0% (44 out of 400) of patients who received placebo + chemotherapy before surgery.
Understanding different types of results
There’s a lot to learn about your diagnosis. Your doctor may use several terms to talk about your 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 getting worse or coming back
Your doctor may look at the length of time, once treatment begins, until a person experiences certain complications or events. This is called event-free survival (EFS). These may include cancer growing or spreading that would prevent surgery, or cancer growing or returning after surgery.
Pathologic complete response
The phrase “no live cancer cells found at the time of surgery” refers to pathologic complete response (pCR), which is measured at the time of surgery. This is when the cancer could no longer be found when lung tissue and lymph nodes were examined under a microscope.
Major pathologic response
The phrase “less than or equal to 10% of live cancer cells found at the time of surgery” refers to major pathologic response (mPR), which is measured at the time of surgery. This is when less than or equal to 10% of live cancer cells can be found when lung tissue and lymph nodes were examined under a microscope.