The Addition of Pembrolizumab to Postoperative Radiotherapy in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Clinical Trial

Official title: A Phase II Study of the Addition of Pembrolizumab to Postoperative Radiotherapy in Resected High Risk Cutaneous Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

A small group of skin cancers of the head and neck, called resected cutaneous squamous carcinomas, are more aggressive than most cancers of this type, even after being treated with standard therapy. This trial will use stronger treatment to look at the safety and effectiveness (efficacy) of combining a drug called Pembrolizumab with radiation after a cancer has already been treated to suppress secondary tumor formation in high risk cutaneous squamous cell cancer of the head and neck.

Primary Objective To assess safety by looking at the people with dose limiting responses

Clinical Trial Description

Primary Objective:

To assess safety and estimate 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) of postoperative radiation therapy (RT) + concurrent and adjuvant Pembrolizumab in high risk resected cutaneous squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (cSCC-HN).

Secondary Objectives

1. To evaluate the relationship of baseline programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression by tumor and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) to preliminary efficacy .

2. To phenotype tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), and investigate tumor suppressor populations including Tregs, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8) suppressor cells and assess ex vivo for effector function by cytokine production and cytotoxicity assays as well as suppressor function in assays with autologous PBLs.

3. To evaluate the tumor microenvironment (TME), and immune markers at the invasive margin of the tumor, including CD8, PD-1, PD-L1, TIM-3, galectin-9 or HMGB-1, BTLA and HVEM, as well as Lag-3, CTLA-4 and others.

4. To evaluate the genomic and/or transcriptomic profile of these tumors using RNA-seq /Whole Transcriptome Shotgun Sequencing

Trial Design:

This is a phase II trial evaluating the addition of concurrent and adjuvant fixed-dose pembrolizumab in combination with standard intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), in order to establish safety and estimate efficacy of this regimen to be tested in a subsequent randomized registration trial.

Thirty seven patients will be enrolled. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell
• Head and Neck Neoplasms
• Neoplasms, Squamous Cell
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

• NCT number: NCT03057613
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: May 10, 2017
• Completion date: September 9, 2020