No Recurrence-Free Survival Benefit With Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

In the phase III KEYNOTE-937 trial, adjuvant therapy using the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab showed no significant improvement in recurrence-free survival compared to placebo in hepatocellular carcinoma patients who had a complete radiologic response after surgical resection or local ablation. Presented by Dr. Stephen Lam Chan at the 2026 ASCO GI Cancers Symposium, the trial involved 959 patients and found a median recurrence-free survival of 46.7 months with pembrolizumab versus 45.5 months with placebo, alongside common side effects such as pruritus and hypothyroidism. The findings underscore a need for effective adjuvant therapies.