Alliance A171901

Official Title

Testing the effects of mk-3475 (pembrolizumab) with or without the usual chemotherapy treatment for patients 70 years of age and older with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Study Purpose

To find out if patients aged 70 years or older have different side effects than younger patients from treatment with the usual approach for non-small cell lung cancer.

Diagnosis

Patients who have non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to other parts of your body and will be treated with the drug called MK-3475 (pembrolizumab) with or without chemotherapy.

Eligibility

Stage IV or recurrent metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Patients must sign an approved informed consent and authorization permitting release of personal health information.

Intervention

This study has 2 study groups. Each cycle lasts 21 days (you may receive the pembrolizumab once every 42 days instead).

• Group A: Patients in this group will get MK-3475 (pembrolizumab) alone. 

• Group B: Patients in this group will get MK-3475 (pembrolizumab) along with two chemotherapy drugs called pemetrexed and carboplatin on the first day of each cycle.