{"entity":{"id":"ken-kato","kind":"person","name":"Ken Kato","aka":[],"tldr":"Japanese oncologist who led ATTRACTION-3 and KEYNOTE-590, bringing immunotherapy to oesophageal cancer.","summary":"Ken Kato was principal investigator of ATTRACTION-3, the first trial to show a checkpoint inhibitor (nivolumab) improves survival in previously treated oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and co-led KEYNOTE-590, which established pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy first line. He leads JCOG oesophageal trials and heads oesophageal medical oncology at Japan's National Cancer Center.","asOf":"2026-09-10","links":[{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kato%20K%5BAuthor%5D%20esophageal%20nivolumab%20OR%20pembrolizumab"}],"tags":["esophageal","immunotherapy","japan"],"related":[],"cancers":["esophageal","head-and-neck"],"sections":[],"technologies":["checkpoint-inhibitor"],"targets":["pd1"],"drugs":["nivolumab","pembrolizumab"],"companies":[],"institutions":["ncc-japan"],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":["keynote-590"],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"role":"Chief, Department of Head and Neck, Esophageal Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo","institutionId":"ncc-japan","specialisms":["Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma","Immunotherapy","Head and neck cancer","Japanese cooperative trials"],"profiles":[{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kato%20K%5BAuthor%5D%20esophageal%20nivolumab%20OR%20pembrolizumab"}],"papers":[{"title":"Nivolumab versus chemotherapy in patients with advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma refractory or intolerant to previous chemotherapy (ATTRACTION-3)","journal":"Lancet Oncology","year":2019,"doi":"10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30626-6"},{"title":"Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for first-line treatment of advanced oesophageal cancer (KEYNOTE-590)","journal":"Lancet","year":2021,"doi":"10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01234-4"}]},"route":"/people/ken-kato/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"head-and-neck","kind":"cancer","name":"Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/head-and-neck/"},{"id":"esophageal","kind":"cancer","name":"Oesophageal cancer","route":"/cancers/esophageal/"}],"technology":[{"id":"checkpoint-inhibitor","kind":"technology","name":"Immune checkpoint inhibitors","route":"/technologies/checkpoint-inhibitor/"}],"target":[{"id":"pd1","kind":"target","name":"PD-1","route":"/targets/pd1/"}],"drug":[{"id":"nivolumab","kind":"drug","name":"Nivolumab","route":"/drugs/nivolumab/"},{"id":"pembrolizumab","kind":"drug","name":"Pembrolizumab","route":"/drugs/pembrolizumab/"}],"institution":[{"id":"ncc-japan","kind":"institution","name":"National Cancer Center Hospital","route":"/institutions/ncc-japan/"}],"trial":[{"id":"keynote-590","kind":"trial","name":"KEYNOTE-590","route":"/trials/keynote-590/"}]}}