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ASCO 2018 | MASTERKEY-232: T-VEC not the way forward in relapsed head and neck cancer

Kevin Harrington, PhD, MBBS, of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, presented data from the Phase Ib MASTERKEY-232 trial (NCT02626000) at the American Society of Oncology (ASCO) 2018 Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. This study combined oncolytic virus therapy talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody pembrolizumab in an attempt to enhance the anti-tumor immune response in relapsed metastatic head and neck cancer. While safety data for this trial were adequate, the response rate of 16.7% was too similar to the standard of care, pembrolizumab monotherapy, to justify continuation to Phase III.