Efficacy of Pembrolizumab in Advanced Melanoma: A Narrative Review

Pembrolizumab has been shown to increase survival in patients with metastatic melanoma. Considering the numerous oncoming studies, we decided to conduct a narrative review of the latest efficacy evidence regarding the use of pembrolizumab, alone or in combination, in patients with metastatic melanoma. A search was conducted in PubMed using pembrolizumab, and metastatic melanoma as keywords, considering studies from 2022 onward. We reviewed pembrolizumab and associations, cost-effectiveness, virus, advanced acral melanoma, long-term outcomes, real-life data, biomarkers, obesity, and vaccines. In conclusion, pembrolizumab is a fundamental option in the therapy of metastatic melanoma. However, a certain group of patients do not respond and, therefore, new combination options need to be evaluated. In particular, the use of vaccines tailored to tumor epitopes could represent a breakthrough in the treatment of resistant forms. Further studies with larger sample numbers are needed to confirm the preliminary results.

Automated summary

A narrative review was conducted to assess the efficacy evidence of pembrolizumab in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. It was found that pembrolizumab could increase survival in patients with this condition. However, not all patients respond to pembrolizumab, indicating the need for further evaluation of new combination therapies and personalized vaccines.