Advanced CancerPhase 2NCT02628067
Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in Participants With Advanced Solid Tumors (MK-3475-158/KEYNOTE-158)
A Phase 2 study testing pembrolizumab in people with Advanced Cancer and Anal Carcinoma, run by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC.
Trial summary
In this study, participants with multiple types of advanced (unresectable and/or metastatic) solid tumors who have progressed on standard of care therapy will be treated with pembrolizumab (MK-3475). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Advanced Cancer, Anal Carcinoma, Anal Cancer
- What is being tested?
- pembrolizumab
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,609 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 18 Dec 2015to 4 May 2027
- Phase
- Phase 2
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Histologically or cytologically-documented, advanced solid tumor of one of the following types:
- Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Biliary Adenocarcinoma (gallbladder or biliary tree (intrahepatic or extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma) except Ampulla of Vater cancers)
- Neuroendocrine Tumors (well- and moderately-differentiated) of the lung, appendix, small intestine, colon, rectum, or pancreas
- Endometrial Carcinoma (sarcomas and mesenchymal tumors are excluded)
- Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma
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- Vulvar Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Small Cell Lung Carcinoma
- Mesothelioma
- Thyroid Carcinoma
- Salivary Gland Carcinoma (sarcomas and mesenchymal tumors are excluded)
- Any advanced solid tumor, with the exception of colorectal carcinoma (CRC), which is Microsatellite Instability (MSI)-High (MSI-H) OR
- Any advanced solid tumor (including Colorectal Carcinoma [CRC]) which is Mismatch Repair Deficient (dMMR)/MSI-H in participants from mainland China who are of Chinese descent. (CRC participants will have a histologically proven locally advanced unresectable or metastatic CRC which is dMMR/MSI-H that has received 2 prior lines of therapy) OR
- Any advanced solid tumor that has failed at least one line of therapy and is TMB-H (≥10 mut/Mb, F1CDx assay), excluding dMMR/MSI-H tumors.
- Note: For participants to be eligible for enrollment they must have failed at least one line of standard of care systemic therapy (ie, not treatment naïve), with the exception of CRC participants who must have failed at least 2 lines of standard of care systemic therapy, as per CRC specific eligibility criteria. Participants must not have melanoma or NSCLC.
- Progression of tumor or intolerance to therapies known to provide clinical benefit. There is no limit to the number of prior treatment regimens
- Can supply tumor tissue for study analyses (dependent on tumor type)
- Radiologically-measurable disease
- Performance status of 0 or 1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Scale within 3 days prior to first dose of pembrolizumab
- Life expectancy of at least 3 months
- Adequate organ function
- Female participants of childbearing potential must be willing to use adequate contraception during the intervention period and for at least the time needed to eliminate each study intervention after the last dose of study intervention. and agrees not to donate eggs (ova, oocytes) to others or freeze/store for her own use for the purpose of reproduction during this period. The length of time required to continue contraception for each study intervention is as follows: MK-3475 (120 days)
Who cannot join
- Currently participating and receiving study therapy or has participated in a study of an investigational agent and received study therapy or used an investigational device within 4 weeks of the first dose of study treatment
- Diagnosis of immunodeficiency or receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of study treatment
- Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years
- Prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study Day 1 or not recovered from an adverse event caused by mAbs administered more than 4 weeks earlier
- Prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 2 weeks of study Day 1 or not recovered from adverse events caused by a previously administered agent
- Known additional malignancy within 2 years prior to enrollment with the exception of curatively treated basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and/or curatively resected in situ cancers
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- Known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis
- Has known glioblastoma multiforme of the brain stem
- Has a history of (noninfectious) pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease that required steroids or has current pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease.
- Active infection requiring systemic therapy
- Known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with the participant's ability to cooperate with the requirements of the study
- Pregnant, breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the study, starting with the screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of study treatment
- Previously participated in any other pembrolizumab (MK-3475) study, or received prior therapy with an anti-programmed cell death (PD)-1, anti-PD-Ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1), anti-PD-Ligand 2 (anti-PD-L2), or any other immunomodulating mAb or drug specifically targeting T-cell co-stimulation or checkpoint pathways
- Known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
- Known active Hepatitis B or C
- Received live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study treatment
- Has severe hypersensitivity (≥Grade 3) to pembrolizumab and/or any of its excipients
- Known history of active tuberculosis (TB, Bacillus tuberculosis)
- Has had an allogenic tissue/solid organ transplant.
About this study
Official title: A Clinical Trial of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Evaluating Predictive Biomarkers in Subjects With Advanced Solid Tumors (KEYNOTE 158)
In this study, participants with multiple types of advanced (unresectable and/or metastatic) solid tumors who have progressed on standard of care therapy will be treated with pembrolizumab (MK-3475).
- Conditions
- Advanced Cancer, Anal Carcinoma, Anal Cancer, Biliary Cancer, Cholangiocarcinoma, Bile Duct Cancer
- Being tested
- pembrolizumab
- Keywords
- Programmed Cell Death-1 (PD1, PD-1), Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PDL1, PD-L1), microsatellite instability (MSI), mismatch repair (MMR)
- Medical subject headings
- Anus Neoplasms, Biliary Tract Neoplasms, Cholangiocarcinoma, Bile Duct Neoplasms, Neuroendocrine Tumors, Carcinoid Tumor, Endometrial Neoplasms, Uterine Cervical Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
pembrolizumabBiological
Also called MK-3475, SCH 900475, KEYTRUDA®
intravenous infusion
pembrolizumabBiological
Also called MK-3475, SCH 900475, KEYTRUDA®
intravenous infusion
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Pembrolizumab 200 mg | Experimental | Participants will receive pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously on Day 1 of each 3-week cycle for up to 35 administrations (up to approximately 2 years of treatment). Receives: Biological: pembrolizumab |
| Pembrolizumab 400 mg | Experimental | Participants with any advanced solid tumor that has failed at least one line of therapy and is Tumor- Mutational Burden-High (TMB-H), excluding participants with mismatch repair deficient (dMMR/MSI-H) tumors. The dosing regimen for this cohort will be 400 mg every 6 weeks (Q6W) for up to 18 administrations (up to approximately 2 years of treatment). Receives: Biological: pembrolizumab |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Objective Response Rate (ORR)
ORR is defined as the percentage of participants who have a Complete Response (CR: Disappearance of all target lesions) or a Partial Response (PR: At least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions) per RECIST 1.1 modified to follow a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ at any time during the trial. Responses will be determined by independent central radiologic review, with confirmatory assessment as required per RECIST 1.1. Participants with unknown or missing response information will be treated as non-responders. The percentage of participants who experience a CR or PR based on modified RECIST 1.1 will be presented.
Measured: Up to approximately 10.5 years
Secondary outcomes (5)
Duration of Response (DOR)
DOR, defined in the subset of participants with a CR or PR, based on RECIST 1.1 as assessed by independent central radiologic review, as the time from first documented evidence of CR or PR until the first documented sign of disease progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first. A Complete Response (CR: Disappearance of all target lesions) or a Partial Response (PR: At least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions) per RECIST 1.1 modified to follow a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ. Participants who are alive, have not progressed, have not initiated new anti-cancer treatment, and have not been determined to be lost to follow-up are considered ongoing responders at the time of analysis.
Measured: Up to approximately 10.5 years
Progression Free Survival (PFS)
PFS is defined as the time from allocation to the first documented disease progression according to RECIST 1.1 as assessed by independent central radiologic review, or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST 1.1, progressive disease (PD) is defined as ≥20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions. In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of ≥5 mm. Note: The appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered PD. If a participant does not have a documented date of progression or death, PFS will be censored at the date of the last adequate assessment.
Measured: Up to approximately 10.5 years
Overall Survival (OS)
OS is defined as the time from randomization to death due to any cause. OS will be presented. Censoring will be performed using the date of last known contact for those who are alive at the time of analysis.
Measured: Up to approximately 10.5 years
Percentage of Participants with Adverse Events (AEs)
An adverse event (AE) is defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a study participant administered a pharmaceutical product and which does not necessarily have to have a causal relationship with this intervention. The percentage of participants with AEs will be reported.
Measured: Up to approximately 27 months
Percentage of Participants who Discontinue Study Intervention due to AEs
An AE is defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a study participant administered a pharmaceutical product and which does not necessarily have to have a causal relationship with this treatment. The percentage of participants who discontinue study intervention due to AEs will be reported.
Measured: Up to approximately 2 years
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Dec 2015 (estimated)
- Study start18 Dec 2015
- Primary completion4 May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion4 May 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (17)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Advanced CancerStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLCThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 1,609 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
- Sponsor type
- Industry (pharma, biotech, devices)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Medical Director, Study director, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02628067
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 3475-158
- Other IDs
- 163196, MK-3475-158, KEYNOTE-158, 2022-501253-37-00, U1111-1275-8374, 2015-002067-41, 2015
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 9 Dec 2015
- Last updated
- 22 Sep 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- Yes
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: https://trialstransparency.msdclinicaltrials.com/pdf/ProcedureAccessClinicalTrialData.pdf
Publications
Marabelle A, Le DT, Ascierto PA, Di Giacomo AM, De Jesus-Acosta A, Delord JP, Geva R, Gottfried M, Penel N, Hansen AR, Piha-Paul SA, Doi T, Gao B, Chung HC, Lopez-Martin J, Bang YJ, Frommer RS, Shah M, Ghori R, Joe AK, Pruitt SK, Diaz LA Jr. Efficacy of Pembrolizumab in Patients With Noncolorectal High Microsatellite Instability/Mismatch Repair-Deficient Cancer: Results From the Phase II KEYNOTE-158 Study. J Clin Oncol. 2020 Jan 1;38(1):1-10. doi: 10.1200/JCO.19.02105. Epub 2019 Nov 4.
PubMed 31682550Marabelle A, O'Malley DM, Hendifar AE, Ascierto PA, Motola-Kuba D, Penel N, Cassier PA, Bariani G, De Jesus-Acosta A, Doi T, Longo F, Miller WH Jr, Oh DY, Gottfried M, Yao L, Jin F, Gozman A, Maio M. Pembrolizumab in microsatellite-instability-high and mismatch-repair-deficient advanced solid tumors: updated results of the KEYNOTE-158 trial. Nat Cancer. 2025 Feb;6(2):253-258. doi: 10.1038/s43018-024-00894-y. Epub 2025 Feb 20.
PubMed 39979665Baldini C, Cassier PA, Delord JP, Simonelli M, Touat M, Yao L, Duic JP, Gozman A, Marabelle A. Pembrolizumab monotherapy for microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair deficient recurrent gliomas: results from the multicohort KEYNOTE-158 study. J Neurooncol. 2026 Apr 1;177(2):85. doi: 10.1007/s11060-026-05461-2.
PubMed 41920388Wu X, Mao Y, Xu N, Bai Y, Wang D, Chen X, Yin X, Deng Y, Yang J, Zhang J, Tang J, Huang Y, Li J, Luo S, Zheng H, Zhao W, Xu M, Li N, Mao Y, Gozman A, Xu J. Pembrolizumab in Patients of Chinese Descent with Microsatellite Instability-high/Mismatch Repair Deficient Advanced Solid Tumors: KEYNOTE-158 Final Analysis. Adv Ther. 2025 May;42(5):2480-2489. doi: 10.1007/s12325-025-03142-6. Epub 2025 Mar 22.
PubMed 40121391Oh DY, Algazi A, Capdevila J, Longo F, Miller W Jr, Chun Bing JT, Bonilla CE, Chung HC, Guren TK, Lin CC, Motola-Kuba D, Shah M, Hadoux J, Yao L, Jin F, Norwood K, Lebellec L. Efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with advanced thyroid cancer in the phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study. Cancer. 2023 Apr 15;129(8):1195-1204. doi: 10.1002/cncr.34657. Epub 2023 Feb 7.
PubMed 36748723O'Malley DM, Bariani GM, Cassier PA, Marabelle A, Hansen AR, De Jesus Acosta A, Miller WH Jr, Safra T, Italiano A, Mileshkin L, Amonkar M, Yao L, Jin F, Norwood K, Maio M. Health-related quality of life with pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with previously treated advanced microsatellite instability high/mismatch repair deficient endometrial cancer in the KEYNOTE-158 study. Gynecol Oncol. 2022 Aug;166(2):245-253. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2022.06.005. Epub 2022 Jul 11.
PubMed 35835611Even C, Delord JP, Price KA, Nakagawa K, Oh DY, Burge M, Chung HC, Doi T, Fakih M, Takahashi S, Yao L, Jin F, Norwood K, Hansen AR. Evaluation of pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with previously treated advanced salivary gland carcinoma in the phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study. Eur J Cancer. 2022 Aug;171:259-268. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.05.007. Epub 2022 Jun 28.
PubMed 35777186Maio M, Ascierto PA, Manzyuk L, Motola-Kuba D, Penel N, Cassier PA, Bariani GM, De Jesus Acosta A, Doi T, Longo F, Miller WH, Oh DY, Gottfried M, Xu L, Jin F, Norwood K, Marabelle A. Pembrolizumab in microsatellite instability high or mismatch repair deficient cancers: updated analysis from the phase II KEYNOTE-158 study. Ann Oncol. 2022 Sep;33(9):929-938. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2022.05.519. Epub 2022 Jun 6.
PubMed 35680043Maio M, Amonkar MM, Norquist JM, Ascierto PA, Manzyuk L, Motola-Kuba D, Penel N, Cassier PA, Bariani GM, De Jesus Acosta A, Doi T, Longo F, Miller WH Jr, Oh DY, Gottfried M, Wang R, Norwood K, Marabelle A. Health-related quality of life in patients treated with pembrolizumab for microsatellite instability-high/mismatch repair-deficient advanced solid tumours: Results from the KEYNOTE-158 study. Eur J Cancer. 2022 Jul;169:188-197. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.03.040. Epub 2022 May 16.
PubMed 35588692Shapira-Frommer R, Mileshkin L, Manzyuk L, Penel N, Burge M, Piha-Paul SA, Girda E, Lopez Martin JA, van Dongen MGJ, Italiano A, Xu L, Jin F, Norwood K, Ott PA. Efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab for patients with previously treated advanced vulvar squamous cell carcinoma: Results from the phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study. Gynecol Oncol. 2022 Aug;166(2):211-218. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2022.01.029. Epub 2022 Mar 28.
PubMed 35361487Marabelle A, Cassier PA, Fakih M, Kao S, Nielsen D, Italiano A, Guren TK, van Dongen MGJ, Spencer K, Bariani GM, Ascierto PA, Santoro A, Shah M, Asselah J, Iqbal S, Takahashi S, Piha-Paul SA, Ott PA, Chatterjee A, Jin F, Norwood K, Delord JP. Pembrolizumab for previously treated advanced anal squamous cell carcinoma: results from the non-randomised, multicohort, multicentre, phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 May;7(5):446-454. doi: 10.1016/S2468-1253(21)00382-4. Epub 2022 Feb 1.
PubMed 35114169O'Malley DM, Bariani GM, Cassier PA, Marabelle A, Hansen AR, De Jesus Acosta A, Miller WH Jr, Safra T, Italiano A, Mileshkin L, Xu L, Jin F, Norwood K, Maio M. Pembrolizumab in Patients With Microsatellite Instability-High Advanced Endometrial Cancer: Results From the KEYNOTE-158 Study. J Clin Oncol. 2022 Mar 1;40(7):752-761. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.01874. Epub 2022 Jan 6.
PubMed 34990208Yap TA, Nakagawa K, Fujimoto N, Kuribayashi K, Guren TK, Calabro L, Shapira-Frommer R, Gao B, Kao S, Matos I, Planchard D, Chatterjee A, Jin F, Norwood K, Kindler HL. Efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab in patients with advanced mesothelioma in the open-label, single-arm, phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study. Lancet Respir Med. 2021 Jun;9(6):613-621. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30515-4. Epub 2021 Apr 6.
PubMed 33836153Marabelle A, Fakih M, Lopez J, Shah M, Shapira-Frommer R, Nakagawa K, Chung HC, Kindler HL, Lopez-Martin JA, Miller WH Jr, Italiano A, Kao S, Piha-Paul SA, Delord JP, McWilliams RR, Fabrizio DA, Aurora-Garg D, Xu L, Jin F, Norwood K, Bang YJ. Association of tumour mutational burden with outcomes in patients with advanced solid tumours treated with pembrolizumab: prospective biomarker analysis of the multicohort, open-label, phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study. Lancet Oncol. 2020 Oct;21(10):1353-1365. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30445-9. Epub 2020 Sep 10.
PubMed 32919526Piha-Paul SA, Oh DY, Ueno M, Malka D, Chung HC, Nagrial A, Kelley RK, Ros W, Italiano A, Nakagawa K, Rugo HS, de Braud F, Varga AI, Hansen A, Wang H, Krishnan S, Norwood KG, Doi T. Efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab for the treatment of advanced biliary cancer: Results from the KEYNOTE-158 and KEYNOTE-028 studies. Int J Cancer. 2020 Oct 15;147(8):2190-2198. doi: 10.1002/ijc.33013. Epub 2020 May 2.
PubMed 32359091