Neoadjuvant and adjuvant pembrolizumab (pembro) plus standard of care (SOC) for resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA HNSCC): Efficacy by surgical outcomes in the phase 3 KEYNOTE-689 trial.

Journal of Clinical Oncology 2026

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Authors: Douglas Adkins, Robert I. Haddad, Yungan Tao, Christophe Le Tourneau, Nancy Y. Lee, William Westra, Makoto Tahara, Kevin Joseph Harrington, Arkadiy Klochikhin, Coro Bescós, Gustavo Vasconcelos Alves, Brett Gordon Maxwell Hughes
+7 more Marc Oliva, Iane Pinto Figueiredo Lima, Tsutomu Ueda, C Liu, Kimberly Thomas Benjamin, Bin Zhao, Ravindra Uppaluri
DOI: 10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.6057
Cited by: 1

Abstract

6057 Background: In the phase 3 KEYNOTE-689 trial (NCT03765918), neoadjuvant and adjuvant pembro plus SOC (surgery and postoperative [chemo]radiotherapy) significantly improved EFS versus SOC in participants (pts) with resectable LA HNSCC. We present results from an exploratory analysis of EFS by surgical outcomes in KEYNOTE-689. Methods: Adults with newly diagnosed resectable LA HNSCC were randomly assigned to receive 2 cycles neoadjuvant pembro 200 mg followed by surgery and 15 cycles adjuvant pembro starting concurrently with postoperative (chemo)radiotherapy (pembro arm) versus surgery and postoperative (chemo)radiotherapy only (control arm). This exploratory analysis evaluated EFS in pts with R0 resection (negative [≥5mm] or close [1-5mm] margin) by local assessment, and postoperative presence or absence of extranodal extension (ENE) or positive (

Fields of Study & Subjects

Head and Neck Cancer Studies Esophageal Cancer Research and Treatment Colorectal and Anal Carcinomas

Publication details

Journal / source
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Publisher
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
Volume
44
Issue
16_suppl
Pages
6057–6057
Publication date
27 May 2026
Language
EN