Pembrolizumab as first-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer—a game changer?

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (80–85% of all lung cancers) continues to be one of the major causes of cancer related deaths around the world (1). For the vast majority of patients with advanced or metastatic disease (40–50% of all patients at time of diagnosis) platinum-based chemotherapy remains the only potential treatment and has led to significantly improved survival outcomes with a “plateau” of about 10–11 months median survival (2).