The FDA has approved pembrolizumab as a perioperative treatment for patients with resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma expressing PD-L1. The decision follows the phase 3 KEYNOTE-689 trial, demonstrating improved event-free survival and tumor shrinkage with pembrolizumab given before, during, and after surgery. Investigators from Dana-Farber and Washington University led the study, marking the first checkpoint inhibitor approved in the curative perioperative setting for this cancer type.