Pembrolizumab for previously untreated advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer

Pembrolizumab is in development for the treatment of advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer (EC), a malignancy (cancerous growth) from the lining of the uterus. EC is one of the most common gynaecological cancers, with higher risk and poorer prognosis in cases that are diagnosed at an advanced stage or recur after initial treatment. A specific subgroup of these cancers shows deficiency (flaw) in DNA mismatch repair (dMMR), which leads to increased mutation rates and tumour aggressiveness. Standard treatment for advanced or recurrent EC typically involves platinum-based chemotherapy, which may not be effective or well tolerated in all patients. There remains an unmet need for targeted therapies that offer durable responses and are less toxic than conventional chemotherapy, particularly for patients with dMMR tumours.