Highlights
– PALACE‑2 (multi‑center phase 1/2) evaluated preoperative pembrolizumab added to standard chemoradiotherapy (PPCT) in 143 patients with histologically confirmed, locally advanced, resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
– Among 125 patients who underwent esophagectomy, pathologic complete response (pCR) was 43.2% (54/125); during neoadjuvant therapy 75.7% (106/140) experienced grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs).
