Pembrolizumab extends cancer-free period for patients with high-risk bladder cancer

A large clinical trial found that adjuvant pembrolizumab (Keytruda) nearly doubles the time patients with high-risk, muscle-invasive bladder cancer remain cancer-free post-surgery compared with the observation group. Conducted by NIH researchers, the AMBASSADOR trial showed that patients treated with pembrolizumab had a median cancer-free period of 29.6 months vs. 14.2 months for those under observation. Findings suggest treatment with pembrolizumab is a promising post-surgical option, and research teams are already building on the findings.