The Medical Advisor

Key Takeaways Dostarlimab plus chemotherapy showed improved overall survival compared to pembrolizumab in advanced NSCLC (non–small cell lung cancer), with a median OS of 20.2 vs 15.9 months. The trial's primary endpoint was objective response rate, with secondary endpoints including overall survival, progression-free survival, and safety. Safety profiles were consistent between treatment arms, with 98% experiencing any-grade adverse effects and 65%-66% experiencing grade 3 or higher adverse effects. The study included 243 patients, with a majority being male and a median age of 64-65 years, and assessed disease progression through regular clinic visits and imaging. The combination of dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli) and chemotherapy maintained a numerical improvement in overall survival (OS) compared with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) plus chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer* (NSCLC), according to updated findings from the ph...

In April 2025, doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering  published results  (NEJM 2025) showing a monoclonal antibody treatment that's typically reserved for advanced-stage mismatch repair-deficient rectal tumors can completely replace chemo in earlier stages of disease. "What was amazing, and is still amazing, is that all the patients in the rectal group had a complete response to just immunotherapy," Dr. Andrea Cercek, a medical oncologist at MSK, told BI during ASCO. "Everyone's organs were completely preserved — very minimal toxicity." The  form of immunotherapy  used in the trial, called  Jemperli  (dostarlimab) and produced by the drug company GSK, received the FDA’s “Breakthrough Therapy Designation” on December 16, 2024, for treating people with a particular type of rectal cancer.  The  FDA says this breakthrough designation  aims to “expedite the development and review of drugs that are intended to treat a serious condition” where clinica...