NCT02504372CompletedPhase 3
Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) vs Placebo for Participants With Non-small Cell Lung Cancer After Resection With or Without Standard Adjuvant Therapy (MK-3475-091/KEYNOTE-091)
A Randomized, Phase 3 Trial With Anti-PD-1 Monoclonal Antibody Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Versus Placebo for Patients With Early Stage NSCLC After Resection and Completion of Standard Adjuvant Therapy (PEARLS)
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 17 Mar 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
In this study, participants with Stage IB/II-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have undergone surgical resection (lobectomy or pneumonectomy) with or without adjuvant chemotherapy will be treated with pembrolizumab or placebo. The primary study hypothesis is that pembrolizumab will provide improved disease-free survival (DFS) versus placebo.
- Status (registry)
- Completed
- Phase (registry)
- Phase 3
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 1177 (actual)
- First submitted
- 20 Jul 2015
- Start date
- 6 Nov 2015
- Primary completion date
- 24 Jan 2023
- Lead sponsor
- Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
- Diseases
- Lung cancer
- NCT number
- NCT02504372
- EU CT number
- 2023-509137-39-00
- EudraCT number
- 2015-000575-27
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional · Phase 3
- Participants enrolled: 1177
- From 6 Nov 2015 to the primary completion date, 24 Jan 2023
- 97 sites in 17 countries
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- More than 4 cycles of adjuvant therapy
- Live vaccine within 30 days prior to the first infusion of study treatment
- Current participation or treatment with an investigational agent or use of an investigational device within 4 weeks of the first infusion of study treatment
- Chronic use of immunosuppressive agents and/or systemic corticosteroids or any use in the last 3 days prior to the first infusion of study treatment
- Previous allogeneic tissue/solid organ transplant
- Surgery- or chemotherapy-related toxicity (non-hematological) not resolved to Grade 1 with the exception of alopecia, fatigue, neuropathy and lack of appetite /nausea
Other illness
- Evidence of disease at clinical examination and/or baseline radiological assessment as documented by contrast enhanced chest/upper abdomen CT scan, brain CT/MRI and clinical examination
- History of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (known HIV 1/2 antibodies positive). No known active Hepatitis B or C
- History of interstitial lung disease or (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required oral or IV steroids (other than COPD exacerbation) or current pneumonitis
- Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in past 2 years
- History of a hematologic or primary solid tumor malignancy, unless in remission for at least 5 years with the exception of pT1-2 prostatic cancer Gleason score \< 6, superficial bladder cancer, non melanomatous skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
- Active infection requiring therapy
Lab values
- Prior treatment with anti-programmed cell death (anti-PD)-1, anti-PD ligand-1/2, anti-CD137, or cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) modulators or any other immune-modulating agents
Other
- Pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the screening visit through 120 days after the last infusion of study treatment
- Participant will not be eligible if the participant is or has an immediate family member (e.g., spouse, parent/legal guardian, sibling or child) who is investigational site or Sponsor staff directly involved with this trial, unless prospective site Review Board approval is given allowing exception to this criterion for a specific participant
Who the study is looking for
- Pathological diagnosis of NSCLC confirmed at surgery, any histology. Participants with two synchronous primary non-small cell lung cancers are excluded from the study
- Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) v7 Stage IB with T ≥ 4 cm, II-IIIA NSCLC after complete surgical resection with resection margins proved microscopically free of disease (R0). Carcinoma in situ can be present at the bronchial margin
- Available tumor sample obtained at surgical resection for programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) Immunohistochemistry (IHC) expression assessment
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status 0-1
- Adequate organ function performed within 10 days of treatment initiation
- Female participants of childbearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test at screening (within 72 hours of first infusion of study medication). If the urine test cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required. The serum pregnancy test must be negative for the participant to be eligible
- Female participants of childbearing potential must be willing to use 2 methods of birth control or be surgically sterile, or abstain from heterosexual activity starting with the first infusion of study treatment through 120 days after the last infusion of study treatment
- Female participants who are breast feeding must discontinue nursing prior to the first infusion of study medication and until 120 days after the last infusion study treatment
- Male participants must agree to use an adequate method of contraception starting with the first infusion of study treatment through 120 days after the last infusion of study treatment
- Absence of severe comorbidities that in the opinion of the Investigator might hamper the participation to the study and/or the treatment administration
- No prior or planned neo-adjuvant or adjuvant radiotherapy and/or neo-adjuvant chemotherapy for the current malignancy is allowed
Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (97)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medizinische Universitaet Innsbruck Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Innsbruck | Austria | Completed |
| Landeskrankenhaus Rankweil Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Rankweil | Austria | Completed |
| Gemeinnuetzige Salzburger Landeskliniken Betriebsgesellschaft mbH Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Salzburg | Austria | Completed |
| Institut Jules Bordet Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Anderlecht | Belgium | Completed |
| Grand Hopital de Charleroi Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Charleroi | Belgium | Completed |
| Antwerp University Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Edegem | Belgium | Completed |
| UZ Leuven Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Leuven | Belgium | Completed |
| Algemeen Ziekenhuis Delta Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Roeselare | Belgium | Completed |
| Cabinet Medical Van Houte Cornejo Montero Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Yvoir | Belgium | Completed |
| University Hospital Olomouc Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Olomouc | Czechia | Completed |
| Nemocnice AGEL Ostrava - Vitkovice a.s. Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Ostrava | Czechia | Completed |
| Fakultni Nemocnice Plzen Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Plzen 3 | Czechia | Completed |
| Fakultni nemocnice v Motole Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Prague | Czechia | Completed |
| Fakultni nemocnice Bulovka Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Prague | Czechia | Completed |
| Fakultni Thomayerova nemocnice Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Prague 4 | Czechia | Completed |
| Evangelische Lungenklinik Berlin Krankenhausbetriebs gGmbH Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Berlin | Germany | Completed |
| Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin KöR Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Berlin | Germany | Completed |
| Vivantes Netzwerk fuer Gesundheit GmbH Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Berlin | Germany | Completed |
| Kaiserswerther Diakonie Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Duesseldorf | Germany | Completed |
| Klinikum Esslingen GmbH Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Esslingen am Neckar | Germany | Completed |
| Goethe University Frankfurt Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Frankfurt Am Main | Germany | Completed |
| Asklepios Klinik Gauting GmbH Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Gauting | Germany | Completed |
| Universitaetsmedizin Goettingen Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Goettingen | Germany | Completed |
| Hämato-Onkologie Hamburg, Prof. Laack und Partner Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Hamburg | Germany | Completed |
| Universitaetsklinikum des Saarlandes AöR Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Homburg | Germany | Completed |
| Universitaetsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein AöR Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Luebeck | Germany | Completed |
| Robert Bosch Krankenhaus GmbH Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Stuttgart | Germany | Completed |
| Region Hovedstaden Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Herlev | Denmark | Completed |
| Næstved Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Næstved | Denmark | Completed |
| Odense University Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Odense C | Denmark | Completed |
| North Estonia Medical Centre Foundation Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Tallinn | Estonia | Completed |
| Tartu University Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Tartu Linn | Estonia | Completed |
| Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Barcelona | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Clinic de Barcelona Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Barcelona | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Córdoba | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Madrid | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario HM Sanchinarro Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Madrid | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario La Paz Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Madrid | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Madrid | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro de Majadahonda Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Majadahonda | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Málaga | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario Central De Asturias Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Oviedo | Spain | Completed |
| University Hospital Virgen Del Rocio S.L. Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Sevilla | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario Virgen De La Macarena Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Sevilla | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario Virgen De Valme Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Sevilla | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Universitario Y Politecnico La Fe Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Valencia | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Unviersitario Miguel Servet Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Zaragoza | Spain | Completed |
| Hospital Clinico Universitario Lozano Blesa Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Zaragoza | Spain | Completed |
| Centre d’oncologie et de radiothérapie du Pays basque Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Bayonne | France | Completed |
| Centre Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire de Brest Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Brest | France | Completed |
| Hospices Civils de Lyon Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Bron | France | Completed |
| Centre Francois Baclesse Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Caen Cedex 5 | France | Completed |
| Chu Gabriel Montpied Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Clermont-Ferrand | France | Completed |
| Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rennes Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Rennes | France | Completed |
| Institut Gustave Roussy Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Villejuif | France | Completed |
| Thoracic General Hospital of Athens "I Sotiria" Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Athens | Greece | Completed |
| University General Hospital of Heraklion Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Heraklion | Greece | Completed |
| General University Hospital Of Patras Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Patras | Greece | Completed |
| Geniko Nosokomeio Thessalonikis George Papanikolaou Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Thessaloniki | Greece | Completed |
| Orszagos Koranyi Pulmonologiai Intezet Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Budapest XII | Hungary | Completed |
| Orszagos Onkologiai Intezet Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Budapest XII | Hungary | Completed |
| University of Debrecen Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Debrecen | Hungary | Completed |
| Farkasgyepui Tudogyogyintezet Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Farkasgyepű | Hungary | Completed |
| Komarom-Esztergom Varmegyei Szent Borbala Korhaz Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Tatabánya | Hungary | Completed |
| Cork University Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Cork | Ireland | Completed |
| Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Dublin 7 | Ireland | Completed |
| St James's Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Dublin 8 | Ireland | Completed |
| University Hospital Limerick Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Limerick | Ireland | Completed |
| University Hospital Waterford Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Waterford | Ireland | Completed |
| Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna IRCCS Istituto Di Ricerca E Di Cura A Carattere Scientifico Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Bologna | Italy | Completed |
| Azienda Ospedaliera Santa Croce E Carle Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Cuneo | Italy | Completed |
| Careggi University Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Florence | Italy | Completed |
| IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Genoa | Italy | Completed |
| Fondazione IRCCS - Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Milan | Italy | Completed |
| Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Monza | Italy | Completed |
| Istituto Oncologico Veneto Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Padova | Italy | Completed |
| Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Parma Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Parma | Italy | Completed |
| Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale della Romagna Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Ravenna | Italy | Completed |
| Azienda Unita Sanitaria Locale Della Romagna Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Rimini | Italy | Completed |
| Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Udine | Italy | Completed |
| Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Riga | Latvia | Completed |
| Rigas Austrumu kliniska universitates slimnica SIA Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Riga | Latvia | Completed |
| Rijnstate Ziekenhuis Stichting Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Arnhem | Netherlands | Completed |
| Ziekenhuis St Jansdal Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Harderwijk | Netherlands | Completed |
| Zuyderland Medisch Centrum Stichting Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Heerlen | Netherlands | Completed |
| Stichting Elisabeth-TweeSteden Ziekenhuis Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Tilburg | Netherlands | Completed |
| Mazowieckie Centrum Leczenia Chorob Pluc i Gruzlicy Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Otwock | Poland | Completed |
| Wielkopolskie Centrum Pulmonologii i Torakochirurgii im. Eugenii i Janusza Zeylandow Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Poznan | Poland | Completed |
| Narodowy Instytut Onkologii im Marii Sklodowskiej Curie Panstwowy Instytut Badawczy Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Warsaw | Poland | Completed |
| Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, E.P.E. Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Coimbra | Portugal | Completed |
| Instituto Portugues de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil, E.P.E. Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Lisbon | Portugal | Completed |
| Unidade Local De Saude De Santa Maria E.P.E. Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Lisbon | Portugal | Completed |
| Instituto Portugues de Oncologia do Porto Francisco Gentil, E.P.E. Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Porto | Portugal | Completed |
| Unidade Local De Saude De Santo Antonio E.P.E. Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Porto | Portugal | Completed |
| Unidade Local de Saúde de Gaia/Espinho, E. P. E Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Vila Nova de Gaia | Portugal | Completed |
| University Clinic Golnik Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Golnik | Slovenia | Completed |
| Institute of Oncology Ljubljana Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Ljubljana | Slovenia | Completed |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.