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Assessing safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab in patients with head and neck cancer.

A phase II trial to assess the efficacy and safety profile of pembrolizumab in patients with performance status 2 with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck - POPPY

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
EU CTR
Registry ID
EUCTR2017-003636-36-GB
Enrollment
65
Registered
2018-09-12
Start date
2019-01-08
Completion date
Unknown
Last updated
2020-11-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer MedDRA version: 21.1 Level: PT Classification code 10067821 Term: Head and neck cancer System Organ Class: 10029104 - Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl cysts and polyps) MedDRA version: 21.0 Level: PT Classification code 10060121 Term: Squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck System Organ Class: 10029104 - Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl cysts and polyps)

Interventions

Trade Name: Pembrolizumab Product Name: Pembrolizumab Product Code: MK-3475 Pharmaceutical Form: Solution for infusion INN or Proposed INN: pembrolizumab CAS Number: 1374853-91-4 Current Sponsor code:

Sponsors

University College London
Lead Sponsor

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Histologically confirmed recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck that is considered incurable by local therapies. 2. Measurable disease evaluated by RECIST v1.1 3. WHO performance status of 2 4. Life expectancy of at least 12 weeks 5. Aged = 18 years of age 6. Adequate bone marrow function: - Absolute neutrophils = 1.5 × 109/L - Platelets = 100 x 109/L - Haemoglobin = 90 g/L 7. Adequate renal function: - Creatinine = 1.5 x ULN - Calculated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) = 50 mL/min estimated using validated creatinine clearance calculation (e.g. Cockroft-Gault or Wright formula). 8. Adequate liver function: - Serum bilirubin = 1.5 x ULN - AST and ALT = 2.5 × ULN (= 5 x ULN for patients with liver metastases) 9. Willing to use highly effective contraception for the duration of trial treatment and for 120 days after completion of treatment 10. Willing to have a new biopsy, if site of disease is accessible and considered safe to biopsy by investigator 11. Able to give informed consent, indicating that the patient has been informed of and understands the experimental nature of the study, possible risks and benefits, trial procedures, and alternative options 12. Willing and able to comply with the protocol for the duration of the study, including the treatment plan, investigations required and follow up visits Are the trial subjects under 18? no Number of subjects for this age range: 0 F.1.2 Adults (18-64 years) yes F.1.2.1 Number of subjects for this age range 50 F.1.3 Elderly (>=65 years) yes F.1.3.1 Number of subjects for this age range 15

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Patients with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal or sino-nasal cancers 2. Disease suitable for treatment with curative intent 3. Prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1 or anti-PD-L2 agent 4. Any investigational agents within 4 weeks prior to registration 5. Anti-cancer monoclonal antibody therapy within 4 weeks prior to registration 6. Chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiotherapy within 2 weeks prior to registration 7. Patients with concurrent or previous malignancy that could compromise assessment of the primary or secondary endpoints of the trial 8. Is pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment 9. Grade 3 or 4 peripheral neuropathy 10. Any serious and/or unstable pre-existing medical, psychiatric or other condition that, in the treating clinician’s judgment, could interfere with patient safety or obtaining informed consent 11. Active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis; subjects with previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they: - Are stable, without evidence of progression for at least four weeks prior to the first dose of trial treatment - Have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases - Have no evidence of leptomeningeal disease - Are not using steroids for at least 7 days prior to trial treatment 12. Has a known history of or is positive for hepatitis B (hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or hepatitis C (hepatitis C virus [HCV] RNA [qualitative] is detected) - NB: Without known history, testing is required to determine eligibility. Hepatitis C antibody testing is allowed for screening purposes in sites where HCV RNA is not part of standard of care 13. Immunocompromised patients (e.g. known HIV positive status)* 14. Prior organ transplantation including allogenic stem-cell transplantation 15. Has a history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids, or current pneumonitis 16. Active infection requiring systemic therapy 17. Has received a live vaccine within 30 days prior to registration (seasonal flu vaccines that do not contain live virus are permitted) 18. Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment (NB: the use of physiologic doses of corticosteroids may be approved after consultation with UCL CTC) 19. Active autoimmune disease that might deteriorate when receiving an immune-stimulatory agent. Patients with the following are eligible: - Autoimmune-related hyperthyroidism or autoimmune-related hypothyroidism who are in remission or on a stable dose of thyroid-replacement hormone - Vitiligo - Psoriasis 20. Current use of immunosuppressive medication, except for the following: - intranasal, inhaled, topical steroids, or local steroid injection (e.g., intra-articular injection) - Systemic corticosteroids at physiologic doses = 10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent - Steroids as premedication for hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., CT scan premedication) *Testing for HIV for the POPPY trial is not mandatory, however if this test has been done the result should be known prior to registration.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Main Objective: The main question we want to answer is whether giving pembrolizumab to patients with head and neck cancer that has come back, or spread to other parts of the body, can help to control the disease.;Secondary Objective: We will look at other measures of how effective the treatment is, such as in how many patients does the cancer shrink, how long does it take before the cancer starts to grow, and how long do the patients live. We will also look at the side effects.;Primary end point(s): Disease control rate at 24 weeks (+/-28 days) after registration assessed using iRECIST;Timepoint(s) of evaluation of this end point: 24 weeks after registration

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Secondary end point(s): 1. Disease control rate at 12 months, defined as a complete response, partial response or stable disease 2. Best Response Rate, measured using the change from baseline tumour size, assessed using iRECIST 3. Clinical benefit rate, defined as a complete response, partial response or stable disease, for = 18 weeks from start of treatment 4. Duration of response 5. Time to progression (TTP) 6. Progression free survival (PFS) 7. Overall survival (OS) 8. Frequency and severity of adverse events, recorded continuously in relation to each treatment cycle and graded using CTCAE criteria 9. Treatment related dose delays or treatment discontinuation due to toxicity;Timepoint(s) of evaluation of this end point: 1. 12 months after registration 2. 6 months after registration 3. every 8 weeks for 24 weeks, then every 9 weeks, from start of treatment 4. from first documented evidence of CR or PR until disease progression or death 5. from registration to the first documented disease progression 6. from registration to the first documented disease progression or death 7. from registration to death from any cause

Countries

United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactPOPPY Trial Coordinator

CR UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre

ctc.poppy@ucl.ac.uk02076799392

Outcome results

None listed

Source: EU CTR (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026