pembrolizumab + cisplatin

Pembrolizumab + cisplatin is a **combination of two drugs**: pembrolizumab, a monoclonal antibody immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), and cisplatin, a platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent that causes DNA crosslinking and cytotoxicity. Pembrolizumab acts by blocking the interaction between PD-1 on T-cells and its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, thereby enhancing the immune response against cancer cells. Cisplatin binds to DNA, forming DNA adducts, which inhibits replication and transcription, ultimately triggering apoptosis in rapidly dividing cancer cells. This combination is used in clinical practice and in trials for various cancers, most notably in **locally advanced unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer** (most commonly with gemcitabine), and is being investigated or used in other advanced solid tumors, sometimes as part of multi-agent regimens[2][3][4][5].

Brand names

Keytruda

Other names

cisplatinCDDP