Metronomic Chemotherapy a Key Aspect of KEYNOTE-B96 Regimen: Nicoletta Colombo, MD, PhD

In the KEYNOTE-B96 trial (NCT05116189), weekly paclitaxel with bevacizumab and pembrolizumab (Keytruda; Merck) demonstrated significant efficacy in platinum-resistant, recurrent ovarian cancer, according to data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Annual Congress 2025.¹

The regimen led to significant improvements in overall survival (OS) and one of the longest progression-free survival (PFS) outcomes seen in this patient population in the second interim analysis of the trial.

Nicoletta Colombo, MD, PhD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Milan-Bicocca, director of the Ovarian Cancer Centre, and chair of the Program of Gynecology at the European Institute of Oncology, spoke to The American Journal of Managed Care^® about the importance of metronomic chemotherapy administration in the combination.

"I think the regimen here was really very carefully selected, because I do believe that the most important aspect is the use of metronomic chemotherapy together with pembrolizumab and bevacizumab," Colombo said.

In the study, the median PFS was 8.3 months in the pembrolizumab arm vs 7.2 months in the placebo arm among patients with a combined positive score of 1 or higher. The 12-month PFS rates were 0.9% and 23.9%, respectively, and the 18-month PFS rates were 18.7% and 10.5%.

The pembrolizumab arm had a median OS of 18.2 months vs 14 months in the placebo group. The 12-month OS rates were 69.1% and 59.3%, respectively, and the 18-month OS rates were 51.5% and 38.9%.

Reference

Colombo N, Zsiros E, Sebastianelli A, et al. Pembrolizumab vs placebo plus weekly paclitaxel ± bevacizumab in platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer: results from the randomized double-blind phase III ENGOT-ov65/KEYNOTE-B96 study. Presented at: 50th European Society for Medical Oncology Congress; October 17-21, 2025; Berlin, Germany. Abstract LBA3.