Dr. Raez on the KEYNOTE-407 Trial in Squamous NSCLC

Luis E. Raez, MD, medical director and chief scientific officer of Memorial Cancer Institute, Memorial Healthcare System, discusses the impact of the KEYNOTE-407 trial in squamous non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

For many years, squamous NSCLC has been behind in drug development because agents, such as pemetrexed and bevacizumab (Avastin), did not have indications for squamous cell carcinoma, explains Raez.

However, the KEYNOTE-407 study shifted the field when it showed that using pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) or paclitaxel as a frontline therapy for patients with squamous NSCLC improved disease-free survival and overall survival, concludes Raez.