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Pembrolizumab demonstrated promising efficacy and safety in anaplastic thyroid cancer based on pooled survival and tumor response data.  

A study published in June 2025 issue of Clinical Endocrinology, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) was highlighted as a rare, stage IV malignancy with a median survival of 4 months and limited response to conventional treatments. 

Researchers evaluated the survival outcomes, tumor response, and adverse events (AEs) of Pembrolizumab combination therapy in ATC.  

They systematically searched online databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library, to identify eligible studies, extracted and pooled data for meta-analysis, focusing on objective response rate (ORR), stable disease (SD), disease control rate (DCR), median overall survival (mOS), and AEs. 

The results showed that a total of 8 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The combined ORR was 46.0%, SD occurred in 20%, and the DCR was 74%. The pooled mOS was 9.62 months. Most patients experienced grade 1 or grade 2 AEs, while the incidence of grade ≥ 3 AEs was low and generally remained below 5%. 

Investigators concluded that Pembrolizumab demonstrated promising antitumor activity in ATC and was highly well tolerated across studies. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cen.15291