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Axitinib and Pembrolizumab in Subjects With Advanced Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma and Other Soft Tissue Sarcomas

A Phase II Trial of Concurrent Axitinib and Pembrolizumab in Subjects With Advanced Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma (ASPS) and Other Soft Tissue Sarcomas (STS)

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02636725
Enrollment
33
Registered
2015-12-22
Start date
2016-04-19
Completion date
2023-03-03
Last updated
2024-07-12

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

Conditions

Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma, Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Keywords

Advanced Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma, ASPS, STS

Brief summary

The purpose of this research study is to test if Axitinib together with Pembrolizumab can slow tumor growth and know the side effects of the combination treatment.

Detailed description

Arm 2, the Axitinib Plus Pembrolizumab Expansion Cohort, did not open.

Interventions

DRUGAxitinib

5 mg tablets twice daily oral dose administered for 7 consecutive weeks on Cycle 1. A safety lead-in consisting of the initial five patients, intrapatient dose escalation of Axitinib will be permitted based on the absence of predefined toxicities. Twice daily oral dose between 2 mg to 10 mg Axitinib tablets will be administered on subsequent 6 week cycles until withdrawal of consent, disease progression and/or unacceptable toxicity as assessed by treating physician, whichever occurs first.

DRUGPembrolizumab

200 mg intravenous infusion administered every 21 weeks beginning week 2 of Cycle 1 for a maximum of up to 2 years or until withdrawal of consent, disease progression and/or unacceptable toxicity as assessed by treating physician, whichever occurs first.

Sponsors

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Pfizer
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Jonathan Trent, MD, PhD
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
16 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Patients must have histologically confirmed sarcoma with pathology review required for any outside samples. 2. The following histologies may be enrolled without prior treatment: * alveolar soft part sarcoma, * clear cell sarcoma, * epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, and * chordoma. 3. The following histologies may be enrolled only if refractory to anthracycline-based chemotherapy or if the patient refuses to undergo standard of care treatment: * synovial sarcoma, * rhabdomyosarcoma, * malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, * dedifferentiated, pleomorphic or myxoid/round cell liposarcoma, * leiomyosarcoma, * malignant phylloides tumor, * high grade undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas (HGUPS/MFH), * angiosarcoma, * spindle cell sarcoma, not otherwise specified (NOS) * malignant myoepithelioma. 4. The following histologies may be enrolled only if refractory to at least one line of chemotherapy or if the patient refuses to undergo standard of care treatment: * solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma. 5. The following histologies may be enrolled only if refractory to at least first-line targeted therapy or if the patient refuses to undergo standard of care treatment: * gastrointestinal stromal tumors, * extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma, * PEComa. 6. Primary tumors of bone including Ewing's sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma may only be enrolled if there are measurable target lesions occurring in soft tissue and they are refractory to standard of care anthracycline-based chemotherapy. 7. Any other histology or standard of care therapy not specifically addressed will be reviewed by the principal investigator and pathologist for final determination of eligibility. 8. Measurable disease as defined by RECIST v1.1. 9. Radiographic progression as defined by RECIST v1.1, based on comparison between two radiographic studies no greater than 6 months apart. 10. Inability to undergo complete resection of the disease by surgery. 11. Adequate organ function as defined: * Hematological * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1,000 / microliter (mcL) * Platelets ≥75,000 / mcL * Hemoglobin ≥8 g/dL without transfusion or erythropoietin (EPO) dependency (within 7 days of assessment) * Renal * Serum creatinine ≤1.5 X upper limit of normal (ULN) OR Measured or calculated creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min for subject with creatinine levels \> 1.5 X institutional ULN. (GFR can also be used in place of creatinine or CrCl). Creatinine clearance should be calculated per institutional standard. * Hepatic * Serum total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 X ULN OR Direct bilirubin ≤ ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels \> 1.5 ULN. * Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST/SGOT) and Alanine Transaminase (ALT/SGPT) ≤ 2.5 X ULN OR ≤ 5 X ULN for subjects with liver metastases. * Albumin \>2.5 mg/dL * Coagulation * International Normalized Ratio (INR) or Prothrombin Time (PT) ≤1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants. * Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) ≤1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants. 12. Age ≥ 16 years. 13. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1. 14. Patients must consent and be willing to undergo three core needle biopsies at baseline, prior to starting Cycle 3, and at off-study. At least one tumor site must be amenable to biopsy in the judgment of the interventional radiologist. 15. Female subject of childbearing potential should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy within 72 hours prior to receiving the first dose of study medication. If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required. 16. Females of child bearing potential that are sexually active must agree to either practice 2 medically accepted highly effective methods of contraception at the same time or abstain from heterosexual intercourse from the time of signing the informed consent through 120 days after the last dose of study drug. See Appendix G for protocol-approved highly effective methods of contraceptive combinations. Subjects of childbearing potential are those who have not been surgically sterilized or have not been free from menses for \> 1 year. * Negative test for pregnancy is required of females of child-bearing potential; A female of child bearing potential is any woman, regardless of sexual orientation or whether they have undergone tubal ligation, who meets the following criteria: 1. has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or 2. has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 24 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 24 consecutive months or 730 days). * Conception while on treatment must be avoided 17. Male subjects should agree to use an adequate method of contraception starting with the first dose of study therapy through 120 days after the last dose of study therapy. Prior history of vasectomy does NOT replace requirement for contraceptive use. 18. Suitable venous access to allow for all study related blood sampling 19. Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent document. 20. For minors that are 16 to 18 years of age, assent and parental (or legally acceptable representative) written informed consent must be obtained.

Exclusion criteria

1. Prior therapy with axitinib. Patients are permitted to have received prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy including imatinib, sunitinib, pazopanib, or similar. Patients may have received prior Programmed death 1 (PD-1)/Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) directed therapy. 2. Hypersensitivity to axitinib, pembrolizumab or any of its excipients. 3. Patients may not be receiving any other investigational agents (within 4 weeks prior to Cycle 1, day 1). 4. Prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to Cycle 1, day 1 or has not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier. 5. Patient has had prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 2 weeks prior to Cycle 1, Day 1 or has not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier. Subjects with ≤ Grade 2 neuropathy are an exception to this criterion and may qualify for the study. Note: If subject received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting therapy. 6. Additional known malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment. Exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin, or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy, or in situ cervical cancer. 7. Patients with end-organ dysfunction as defined in inclusion criterion (i.e. #11 above). 8. Patients with bone-only lesions. 9. Patients with underlying immune deficiency, chronic infections including HIV, hepatitis, or tuberculosis (TB) or autoimmune disease. 10. Patients with underlying hematologic issues including bleeding diathesis, known previous GI bleeding requiring intervention within the past 6 months, active pulmonary emboli or deep vein thromboses (DVT) that are not stable on anticoagulation regimen. 11. Has known history of, or any evidence of active, non-infectious pneumonitis. 12. Has known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis or leptomeningeal disease. Subjects with previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they are stable (without evidence of progression by imaging for at least four weeks prior to the first dose of trial treatment and any neurologic symptoms have returned to baseline), have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases, and are not using steroids for at least 7 days prior to trial treatment. This exception does not include carcinomatous meningitis which is excluded regardless of clinical stability. 13. Concomitant (or receipt of) treatment with medications that may affect the metabolism of pembrolizumab and/or axitinib within 7 days prior to Cycle 1, day 1 of axitinib. 14. Has received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy. Note: Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally inactivated flu vaccines and are allowed; however intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., Flu-Mist®) are live attenuated vaccines, and are not allowed. 15. 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. 16. Any uncontrolled, intercurrent illness including but not limited to ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia 17. Prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval on Screening EKG \>475 ms. 18. Ejection Fraction \<40% by 2D echocardiogram (ECHO) at Screening. 19. Any serious medical or psychiatric illness/condition including substance use disorders likely in the judgment of the Investigator(s) to interfere or limit compliance with study requirements/treatment. 20. Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years (i.e. with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs). Replacement therapy (eg., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of Evaluable Participants Achieving Progression-Free Survival (PFS) at 3 Months3 MonthsPercentage of participants who are disease progression free 3 months after initiation of therapy. Disease progression will be evaluated from imaging measures using the Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of Evaluable Participants Achieving Clinical Benefit Response (CBR)Up to 2 YearsCBR is defined as achieving complete response (CR), partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD) from imaging measures using (RECIST) 1.1.
Percentage of Evaluable Participants Achieving Objective Response Rate (ORR)Up to 2 YearsObjective Response Rate (ORR) is defined as achieving complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) from imaging measures using (RECIST) 1.1.
Time to Progression (TTP)Up to 2 yearsTime to progression (TTP) is defined as time from treatment initiation until documented disease progression according to Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST v1.1) or death (by any cause, in the absence of progression). In progression-free patients, PFS will be censored at the last evaluable tumor assessment.
Overall Survival (OS)Up to 5 yearsOS is (OS) is defined as the time from treatment initiation to death from any cause, whichever is earlier. Participants alive or those lost to follow-up will be censored at the last date of contact (or last date known to be alive).
Number of Participants Experiencing Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), Dose-Limiting Toxicities, and Grade 3 or Higher Treatment-Emergent Adverse EventsUp to 25 monthsThe number of participants experiencing serious adverse events (SAEs), dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), and grade 3 or higher treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs). AEs, SAEs and DLTs will be evaluated by treating physician using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE), version 4.03. Treatment-emergent adverse events are those found to be definitely, probably and possibly related to study therapy.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Axitinib Plus Pembrolizumab Group
Participants in this group will receive combination treatment of Axitinib plus Pembrolizumab for up to 2 years followed by monotherapy of Axitinib until withdrawal of consent, disease progression and/or unacceptable toxicity as assessed by treating physician, whichever occurs first. Axitinib: 5 mg tablets twice daily oral dose administered for 7 consecutive weeks on Cycle 1. A safety lead-in consisting of the initial five patients, intrapatient dose escalation of Axitinib will be permitted based on the absence of predefined toxicities. Twice daily oral dose between 2 mg to 10 mg Axitinib tablets will be administered on subsequent 6 week cycles until withdrawal of consent, disease progression and/or unacceptable toxicity as assessed by treating physician, whichever occurs first. Pembrolizumab: 200 mg intravenous infusion administered every 21 weeks beginning week 2 of Cycle 1 for a maximum of up to 2 years or until withdrawal of consent, disease progression and/or unacceptable toxicity as assessed by treating physician, whichever occurs first.
33
Total33

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000
Overall StudyAdverse Event1

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicAxitinib Plus Pembrolizumab Group
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
1 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
8 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
24 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
8 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
25 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
2 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
29 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
15 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
18 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
22 / 33
other
Total, other adverse events
33 / 33
serious
Total, serious adverse events
9 / 33

Outcome results

Primary

Percentage of Evaluable Participants Achieving Progression-Free Survival (PFS) at 3 Months

Percentage of participants who are disease progression free 3 months after initiation of therapy. Disease progression will be evaluated from imaging measures using the Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1.

Time frame: 3 Months

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Axitinib Plus Pembrolizumab GroupPercentage of Evaluable Participants Achieving Progression-Free Survival (PFS) at 3 Months81.8 percentage of participants
Secondary

Number of Participants Experiencing Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), Dose-Limiting Toxicities, and Grade 3 or Higher Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events

The number of participants experiencing serious adverse events (SAEs), dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), and grade 3 or higher treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs). AEs, SAEs and DLTs will be evaluated by treating physician using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE), version 4.03. Treatment-emergent adverse events are those found to be definitely, probably and possibly related to study therapy.

Time frame: Up to 25 months

ArmMeasureGroupValue (NUMBER)
Axitinib Plus Pembrolizumab GroupNumber of Participants Experiencing Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), Dose-Limiting Toxicities, and Grade 3 or Higher Treatment-Emergent Adverse EventsSerious Adverse Events (SAEs)9 participants
Axitinib Plus Pembrolizumab GroupNumber of Participants Experiencing Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), Dose-Limiting Toxicities, and Grade 3 or Higher Treatment-Emergent Adverse EventsDose Limiting Toxicities (DLTs)7 participants
Axitinib Plus Pembrolizumab GroupNumber of Participants Experiencing Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), Dose-Limiting Toxicities, and Grade 3 or Higher Treatment-Emergent Adverse EventsGrade 3 or higher treatment-emergent AE (excluding SAE and DLT)6 participants
Secondary

Overall Survival (OS)

OS is (OS) is defined as the time from treatment initiation to death from any cause, whichever is earlier. Participants alive or those lost to follow-up will be censored at the last date of contact (or last date known to be alive).

Time frame: Up to 5 years

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Axitinib Plus Pembrolizumab GroupOverall Survival (OS)18.7 months
Secondary

Percentage of Evaluable Participants Achieving Clinical Benefit Response (CBR)

CBR is defined as achieving complete response (CR), partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD) from imaging measures using (RECIST) 1.1.

Time frame: Up to 2 Years

Population: Participants that received at least 80% of scheduled axitinib doses and two infusions of pembrolizumab, have measurable disease at baseline and at least one post-baseline disease assessment.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Axitinib Plus Pembrolizumab GroupPercentage of Evaluable Participants Achieving Clinical Benefit Response (CBR)59.4 percentage of participants
Secondary

Percentage of Evaluable Participants Achieving Objective Response Rate (ORR)

Objective Response Rate (ORR) is defined as achieving complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) from imaging measures using (RECIST) 1.1.

Time frame: Up to 2 Years

Population: Evaluable participants received at least 80% of scheduled axitinib doses and two infusions of pembrolizumab, have measurable disease at baseline and at least one post-baseline disease assessment.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Axitinib Plus Pembrolizumab GroupPercentage of Evaluable Participants Achieving Objective Response Rate (ORR)28.1 percentage of participants
Secondary

Time to Progression (TTP)

Time to progression (TTP) is defined as time from treatment initiation until documented disease progression according to Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST v1.1) or death (by any cause, in the absence of progression). In progression-free patients, PFS will be censored at the last evaluable tumor assessment.

Time frame: Up to 2 years

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Axitinib Plus Pembrolizumab GroupTime to Progression (TTP)9.3 months

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 3, 2026