Pembrolizumab in the treatment of non‑small‑cell lung carcinoma

03/2017

Prof. MUDr. Jana Skřičková, CSc.

Klinika nemocí plicních a tuberkulózy LF MU a FN Brno

SUMMARY

Bronchogenic carcinoma is one of the most common carcinomas of the world. Roughly 85% of all bronchogenic carcinoma is a non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). A new approach to its treatment is immunotherapy. This treatment is not directed to the tumor itself, but on the immune system of the patient. Pembrolizumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to a PD-1 receptor of programmed cell death and thus blocks its interaction with ligands of PD-L1 and PD-L2. Blocking PD-1 receptor by pembrolizumab prevents binding of the respective ligands and, thus, enhances the T-cell immune response, which may thus be used in the fight against the tumor itself. The article presents the results of studies that demonstrate the effectiveness pembrolizumab in the first and other lines of treatment. It is necessary to know the state of PD-L1 expression in all NSCLC, regardless of histological type, before pembrolizumab can is indicated for any line of treatment.

KEYWORDS

non-small-cell lung carcinoma, immunotherapy, pembrolizumab