Abstract
The immune checkpoints inhibition has become an important treatment option for patients with advanced melanoma. Pembrolizumab is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody with high affinity for PD-1 receptor expressed on surface of T cells.
The clinical benefit of pembrolizumab was demonstrated in the KEYNOTE 001, 002 and 006 trials and for the treatment of adults with metastatic melanoma the dosage 2mg/kg every 3 weeks was recommended. The most frequent adverse events of pembrolizumab are fatigue, pruritus, rash, diarrhea, endocrine toxicity, hepatotoxicity and pneumonitis.
Pembrolizumab significantly improves both progression free survival and overall survival in patients with metastatic melanoma and represents new valuable treatment option for these patients.