ESMO21: KEYNOTE-716 trial shows adjuvant pembrolizumab prolongs recurrence-free survival in stage II B/C melanoma

Late breaking results from the KEYNOTE-716 clinical trial were recently presented at the ESMO Congress 2021 (16–21 September). The study showed adjuvant pembrolizumab in resected stage II B/C melanoma gives a 35% reduction in the risk of recurrence compared with placebo. Stage II B/C melanoma has a similar incidence, risk of recurrence and death as stage IIIA and IIIB melanoma; however, despite the equivalent risk, the current standard of care is observation for stage II B/C and adjuvant therapy for stage III A/B melanoma. Investigators in the KEYNOTE study advocated for the attractive risk/benefit scenario of adjuvant immunotherapy in this...