A study, first of its kind, reported the effectiveness of Pembrolizumab as a second or later line treatment in advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients positive for PD-L1. Pembrolizumab is a monoclonal antibody-based drug that targets a cellular pathway called PD-1/PD-L1. PD-1 is a receptor, and PD-L1 is one of the molecules that binds to it. The pathway is an example of an immune checkpoint.
Many cancers are able to avoid attack from a patient's immune system by overriding their "immune checkpoints" - molecules on immune cells that need to be activated or silenced to start an immune response. By blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, pembrolizumab may boost the immune system's ability to fight the cancer cells. Pembrolizumab is shown to be effective against various types of cancer, including melanoma and lung cancer, where it has shown durable anti-tumor activity and acceptable…
