title: Pembrolizumab for the treatment of PD-L1  positive advanced or metastatic non-small cell  lung cancer.
abstract: The emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors marked an important advancement in the development of cancer therapeutics. Pembrolizumab is a selective humanized IgG4 kappa monoclonal antibody that inhibits the programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor, an integral component of immune checkpoint regulation in the tumor microenvironment. The drug is currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of advanced melanoma and metastatic squamous and nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several published studies demonstrate that single-agent pembrolizumab is safe and has efficacy in patients with NSCLC. Many ongoing protocols are investigating the role of pembrolizumab in combination with other agents in lung cancer and various other cancer types. We review the available data on pembrolizumab in NSCLC and examine the role of potential predictive biomarkers of response to therapy.
authors.forename: Thu Oanh
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.forename: Adebayo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogunniyi
authors.forename: Meagan S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Barbee
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drilon
mesh_terms: D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment
chemical_list: D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C423236:CD274 protein, human; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor; C582435:pembrolizumab