Merck Reports Positive Results for Keytruda Combination In Phase 3 Gastric Cancer Trial

The KEYNOTE-859 trial is evaluating Keytruda in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy in 1,579 patients with HER2-negative locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma.

Gastric cancer is the fifth most diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with nearly 1.1 million new cases diagnosed and more than 768,000 deaths from the disease globally in 2020. Most gastric cancers are adenocarcinomas, which develop from cells in the innermost lining of the stomach.