Overview
- Phase 1/2b randomized study of 45 heavily pretreated patients compared LITT to conventional surgery or biopsy, each followed by pembrolizumab.
- Median overall survival rose from 5.2 months in the control arm to 11.8 months with LITT plus pembrolizumab.
- At 18 months, 42% of LITT recipients were alive versus 0% with conventional surgery, with more than one‑third living beyond three years.
- Safety was reported as generally acceptable, with biologic correlates showing early monocyte activation and higher activated T cells in long‑term survivors.
- Findings were published in Nature Communications and investigators call for larger confirmatory trials before practice changes.