A look back at pembrolizumab for lung cancer that spread to the brain
Original title: Real-world effectiveness and safety of pembrolizumab monotherapy in non-small-cell lung carcinoma with brain metastases.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This drug is already approved and in use, and doctors looked back at real patients getting it.
The short version
Doctors reviewed the records of 25 patients to see how well this drug worked on its own.
What was studied. Doctors at one hospital in Spain looked back at patient records from 2017 to 2023. Of 172 patients given pembrolizumab, 45 had lung cancer that spread to the brain, and 25 of those got the drug by itself.
What they found. Tumors got smaller in 24% of patients. The cancer was held in check in 40%. The typical time before the cancer grew again was 3 months, and typical survival was 6 months. Side effects of some kind happened in 64% of patients, and none of them were surprising.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This drug is already part of care for this kind of cancer. This review suggests it can still help some people whose cancer has spread to the brain, even outside of a study. Your own doctor can tell you if it fits your case.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a cure, and it does not work for everyone. It was a look back at old records at a single hospital, not a planned trial, so it cannot prove the drug caused the results. Only 25 people took the drug alone, which is a very small group. The study team says larger, planned studies are still needed.
Source: PubMed, September 23, 2026 · Read the original
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