Kevin Harrington, PhD, MBBS, of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, presented data from the Phase Ib MASTERKEY-232 trial (NCT02626000) at the American Society of Oncology (ASCO) 2018 Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. This study combined oncolytic virus therapy talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody pembrolizumab in an attempt to enhance the anti-tumor immune response in relapsed metastatic head and neck cancer. While safety data for this trial were adequate, the response rate of 16.7% was too similar to the standard of care, pembrolizumab monotherapy, to justify continuation to Phase III.
MASTERKEY-232: T-VEC not the way forward in relapsed head and neck cancer
