Study ID: A171901
Testing the effects of MK-3475 (pembrolizumab) with or without the usual chemotherapy treatment for patients 70 years old and older with advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Researchers are studying if there are any side effects of the FDA-approved immunotherapy Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) with or without chemotherapy in treating patients with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer that has recurred and spread to other places in the body.
Immunotherapies may help the body’s immune system attack the cancer and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Researchers seek to determine if administering pembrolizumab with or without chemotherapy may shrink tumors in older patients.
Eligible participants are grouped into two study arms:
- Group A receives pembrolizumab intravenously over 30 minutes on day 1. Cycles repeat every 21 or 42 days.
- Group B receives pembrolizumab and the chemotherapies pemetrexed and carboplatin intravenously over 30 minutes on day 1. Cycles for pembrolizumab repeat every 21 or 42 days. Cycles for the chemotherapies repeat every 21 days.
Inclusion Snapshot
- Must have been diagnosed with stage 4 or recurrent metastatic non-small cell lung cancer
- Must be age 70 or older
- Must not have an autoimmune disorder
Other inclusion/exclusion criteria apply.
Contact Information

- Cancer Trials Team