Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38341460›Full record

ArticleProstate cancer and prostatic diseases2025

A real-world experience of pembrolizumab monotherapy in microsatellite instability-high and/or tumor mutation burden-high metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: outcome analysis.

Osama Mosalem, Winston Tan, Alan H Bryce, Roxana S Dronca, Daniel S Childs, Lance C Pagliaro, Jacob J Orme, Adam M Kase

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
4.2field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Best of 2025 in prostate cancer and prostatic diseases.Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. The diversity of CD8Nature reviews. Immunology · 2025
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Osama MosalemDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3779-185X
Winston TanDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Alan H BryceDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, 85054, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0206-3895
Roxana S DroncaDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Daniel S ChildsDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55902, USA.
Lance C PagliaroDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55902, USA.
Jacob J OrmeDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55902, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0319-0239
Adam M KaseDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA. kase.adam@mayo.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1862-8467
Mayo Clinic in Arizona · USMayo Clinic in Florida · USJacksonville College · USWinnMed · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe efficacy of pembrolizumab monotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients (mCRPC) when stratified by MSI-H and/or TMB-H is poorly defined. Additionally, outcomes based on sequencing source (i.e., tissue or liquid biopsy) have not been well described. We sought to assess outcomes of pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with mCRPC and compare efficacy based on MSI-H and/or TMB-H when identified by tissue or liquid biopsy.

methodsA retrospective analysis was performed of mCRPC patients treated at Mayo Clinic with pembrolizumab monotherapy between 2018 and 2023. Objective response rates (ORR), median progression-free survival (mPFS), and overall survival (mOS), were determined by RECIST v1.1 criteria.

resultsTwenty-two patients with mCRPC received pembrolizumab monotherapy for at least 3 cycles for a MSI-H or TMB-H indication. All patients had next generation sequencing (NGS) performed via tissue (n = 11) or liquid (n = 10) biopsy source. The ORR was 50% (27.3% complete response and 22.7% had partial response). The mPFS for TMB 10-14.9 mut/Mb (n = 4), TMB 15-24.9 mut/Mb (n = 6), and TMB ≥ 25 mut/Mb (n = 10) was 2.1, not reached (NR), and NR, respectively (p = 0.0003). The mOS for these same groups was 5.1 months, 20.5 months, and not reached, respectively. Among patients with TMB-H without co-occurring MSI-H or CDK12 (n = 6), none experienced a response and only one patient had stable disease compared to patients with MSI-H (n = 12) for whom the ORR was 75%. Immunotherapy responsive alterations such as ATRX and PTCH1 mutations were frequently noticed among patients who had complete response (CR).

conclusionsOur hypothesis-generating study suggests that MSI-H drives the efficacy of pembrolizumab in mCRPC with better survival outcomes as TMB increases. Clinicians should consider alternative treatment strategies for advanced prostate cancer when TMB-H is present without co-occurring MSI-H or CDK12.

Indexed as

Antibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAntineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalMicrosatellite InstabilityMutationProstatic Neoplasms, Castration-ResistantAgedAged, 80 and overBiomarkers, TumorHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm MetastasisPrognosisRetrospective StudiesAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAntineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalBiomarkers, Tumorpembrolizumab

Identifiers

PMID38341460
OpenAlexW4391722288

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.