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NCT03765918 · OUTCOME

Pathological Complete Response (pCR) Rate

Study of Pembrolizumab Given Prior to Surgery and in Combination With Radiotherapy Given Post-surgery for Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (MK-3475-689) · Source last updated 2026-07-31

Results reported by the registry submitting party. Population, time horizon, units and missing values must be read together.

Measure
NUMBER
Unit
Percentage of Participants
Interval / dispersion
95% Confidence Interval
Time frame
Up to ~66 months

What was measured

pCR rate was defined as the percentage of participants having no residual invasive squamous cell carcinoma within the resected primary tumor specimen and all sampled regional lymph nodes. The pCR rate as assessed by BIPR at the time of definitive surgery in all randomized participants was presented.

Analysis population: Efficacy analysis population, which included all randomized participants. Per protocol, two participants in the SOC arm received neoadjuvant treatment in error (protocol deviations) and were included in the SOC arm for efficacy analysis.

Groups in this outcome

Pembrolizumab + Standard of Care (SOC)

Neoadjuvant treatment: Participants received 200 mg pembrolizumab by intravenous (IV) infusion administered on Day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 2 cycles (up to 6 weeks) prior to surgery. Adjuvant treatment: Following surgical resection, participants received 200 mg pembrolizumab, IV infusion, on Day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 15 cycles (up to 45 weeks) plus investigator's choice of SOC treatment regimen consisting of radiotherapy, with or without cisplatin 100 mg/m\^2, IV infusion, on Day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 3 cycles (up to 9 weeks).

Standard of Care (SOC)

Adjuvant treatment: Following surgical resection, participants received investigator's choice of SOC treatment regimen consisting of radiotherapy, with or without cisplatin 100 mg/m\^2, IV infusion, on Day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 3 cycles (up to 9 weeks).

Group identifiers and denominators belong to this outcome only. They may differ in another outcome or in safety reporting.

Analysis denominator · Participants

GroupSource count
Pembrolizumab + Standard of Care (SOC)363
Standard of Care (SOC)351

Reported measurements

Source class 1
Values in Percentage of Participants · Interval/dispersion: 95% Confidence Interval
GroupValueSpreadLowerUpperComment
Pembrolizumab + Standard of Care (SOC)3.0Not reported1.55.4Not reported
Standard of Care (SOC)0.0Not reported0.01.0Not reported

Source statistical analyses

Group order, estimate direction, methods and comments are retained. No treatment ranking is inferred.

  1. ci Lower Limit
    1.5
    ci Num Sides
    TWO_SIDED
    ci Pct Value
    95
    ci Upper Limit
    5.3
    group Ids
    1. OG000
    2. OG001
    non Inferiority Comment
    Difference in percentage (calculated as % Pembrolizumab + SOC arm - % SOC arm) and 95% CI were based on Miettinen \& Nurminen method stratified by primary tumor site and tumor stage.
    non Inferiority Type
    OTHER
    p Value
    0.0006
    p Value Comment
    One-sided p-value for testing. H0: difference in % = 0 versus H1: difference in % \> 0.
    param Type
    Difference in Percentage
    param Value
    3.0
    statistical Method
    Stratified Miettinen and Nurminen
Complete source fields
analyses
  1. ci Lower Limit
    1.5
    ci Num Sides
    TWO_SIDED
    ci Pct Value
    95
    ci Upper Limit
    5.3
    group Ids
    1. OG000
    2. OG001
    non Inferiority Comment
    Difference in percentage (calculated as % Pembrolizumab + SOC arm - % SOC arm) and 95% CI were based on Miettinen \& Nurminen method stratified by primary tumor site and tumor stage.
    non Inferiority Type
    OTHER
    p Value
    0.0006
    p Value Comment
    One-sided p-value for testing. H0: difference in % = 0 versus H1: difference in % \> 0.
    param Type
    Difference in Percentage
    param Value
    3.0
    statistical Method
    Stratified Miettinen and Nurminen
classes
  1. categories
    1. measurements
      1. group Id
        OG000
        lower Limit
        1.5
        upper Limit
        5.4
        value
        3.0
      2. group Id
        OG001
        lower Limit
        0.0
        upper Limit
        1.0
        value
        0.0
denoms
  1. counts
    1. group Id
      OG000
      value
      363
    2. group Id
      OG001
      value
      351
    units
    Participants
description
pCR rate was defined as the percentage of participants having no residual invasive squamous cell carcinoma within the resected primary tumor specimen and all sampled regional lymph nodes. The pCR rate as assessed by BIPR at the time of definitive surgery in all randomized participants was presented.
dispersion Type
95% Confidence Interval
groups
  1. description
    Neoadjuvant treatment: Participants received 200 mg pembrolizumab by intravenous (IV) infusion administered on Day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 2 cycles (up to 6 weeks) prior to surgery. Adjuvant treatment: Following surgical resection, participants received 200 mg pembrolizumab, IV infusion, on Day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 15 cycles (up to 45 weeks) plus investigator's choice of SOC treatment regimen consisting of radiotherapy, with or without cisplatin 100 mg/m\^2, IV infusion, on Day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 3 cycles (up to 9 weeks).
    id
    OG000
    title
    Pembrolizumab + Standard of Care (SOC)
  2. description
    Adjuvant treatment: Following surgical resection, participants received investigator's choice of SOC treatment regimen consisting of radiotherapy, with or without cisplatin 100 mg/m\^2, IV infusion, on Day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 3 cycles (up to 9 weeks).
    id
    OG001
    title
    Standard of Care (SOC)
param Type
NUMBER
population Description
Efficacy analysis population, which included all randomized participants. Per protocol, two participants in the SOC arm received neoadjuvant treatment in error (protocol deviations) and were included in the SOC arm for efficacy analysis.
reporting Status
POSTED
time Frame
Up to ~66 months
title
Pathological Complete Response (pCR) Rate
type
SECONDARY
unit Of Measure
Percentage of Participants

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