E-News - August 2026
Alliance Trial Update
Advancing Research in Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Update on ALCHEMIST Chemo-IO Trial/Alliance A081801
The ALCHEMIST Chemo-IO Trial (Alliance A081801) trial, led by Jacob Sands, MD, at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, together with ALCHEMIST study chair David Kozono, MD, PhD, continues to advance research aimed at improving treatment for patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Alliance A081801, part of the ALCHEMIST (Adjuvant Lung Cancer Enrichment Marker Identification and Sequencing Trial) group of studies, is a Phase III trial evaluating whether starting the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab with adjuvant chemotherapy can improve outcomes for patients with higher-risk, resected NSCLC compared with the current standard of care, which gives pembrolizumab after chemotherapy.
The trial continues to enroll patients
Alliance A081801 continues to make progress toward its enrollment goal. To date, 896 of a planned 1,210 participants have been enrolled, with approximately 1,167 participating sites opened to the study.
The continued participation of patients and research sites is essential to generating the evidence needed to determine whether adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy can improve outcomes following surgery.
New research presented at ASCO 2026
Alliance A081801 investigators also shared new research at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting examining differences between central and local laboratory testing of PD-L1, an important biomarker used in lung cancer and immunotherapy research. The analysis addresses how differences in PD-L1 classification between testing approaches may affect patient classification and the interpretation of clinical trial data. The presentation was led by Dr. Kozono (Abstract #8057).
Although this analysis provides additional insight into biomarker assessment and clinical trial methodology; it does not represent the final efficacy results of Alliance A081801.
What comes next?
Through Alliance A081801, patients, physicians, researchers, and participating academic and community sites are working together to answer an important question in early-stage lung cancer: Does starting immunotherapy concurrently with chemotherapy rather than sequentially after chemotherapy, further reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and improve outcomes following surgery?
We are grateful to everyone participating in this research and helping advance knowledge that may improve care for future patients with lung cancer.
Learn more about these trials:
- Alliance A151216 – ALCHEMIST: Adjuvant Lung Cancer Enrichment Marker Identification and Sequencing Trial
- Alliance A081801 – ALCHEMIST Chemo-IO (ACCIO): Integration of Immunotherapy Into Adjuvant Therapy for Resected NSCLC
