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Pembrolizumab in Treating Patients With High Risk Oral Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Personalized, Randomized, Phase 2 Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) for High Risk Oral Intra-Epithelial Neoplasias

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02882282
Enrollment
15
Registered
2016-08-29
Start date
2017-06-14
Completion date
2025-07-14
Last updated
2025-10-23

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

Conditions

Oral Cavity Carcinoma, Oral Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Brief summary

This randomized phase II trial studies how well pembrolizumab works in treating patients with high risk oral intraepithelial neoplasia. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. To determine oral cancer-free survival of patients with high risk oral intra-epithelial neoplasias (IEN) treated with pembrolizumab versus observation. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the safety and tolerability of pembrolizumab for patients with oral IEN. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms. ARM A: Patients undergo observation. ARM B: Patients receive pembrolizumab intravenously (IV) over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months and then periodically thereafter.

Interventions

OTHERLaboratory Biomarker Analysis

Correlative studies

OTHERPatient Observation

Undergo observation

BIOLOGICALPembrolizumab

Given IV

Sponsors

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Histological evidence of oral intra-epithelial neoplasia within 12 months prior to enrollment; subjects with a history or clinical diagnosis suggestive of oral intra-epithelial neoplasia, or patients with a history of invasive oral cancer are eligible, but must have a confirmed histological diagnosis of oral intra-epithelial neoplasia before randomization; histological evidence of oral intraepithelial neoplasia on an invasive oral cancer resection specimen is acceptable; a visible, measurable, clinical lesion (such as leukoplakia and/or erythroplakia) is not required; only individuals with high risk profiles will be considered eligible for randomization; high risk profiles are defined as patients without a prior oral cancer and have loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 3p14 and/or 9p21 plus at least at one additional chromosomal site (4q,8p,11p,13q, or 17p) or patients with a prior oral cancer history and have LOH at 3p14 and/or 9p21; all high risk patients must also meet the additional eligibility criteria * Be willing and able to provide written informed consent * Be greater than or equal to 18 years of age on day of signing informed consent for the trial * Be willing to provide tissue from a newly obtained oral biopsy * Have a performance status of 0-2 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance scale * Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/mcL * Platelets \>= 75,000/mcL * Serum total bilirubin =\< 1.5 X upper limit of normal (ULN) or direct bilirubin =\< ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels \> 1.5 ULN * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\]) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 2.5 X ULN * Female subject of childbearing potential should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test \< 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 * Female subjects of childbearing potential should be willing to use 2 methods of birth control or be surgically sterile, or abstain from heterosexual activity for the course of study therapy through 120 days after the last dose of study medication; subjects of childbearing potential are those who have not been surgically sterilized or have not been free from menses \> 1 year * 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 the study therapy

Exclusion criteria

* Is currently participating and receiving study therapy with potential anti-neoplastic activity, or has participated in a study of an investigational agent and received study therapy with potential anti-neoplastic activity within 4 weeks of the first dose of treatment * 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 * Has a known history of active TB (Bacillus tuberculosis) * Hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients * Has had a prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., =\< grade 2 at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier * Has had prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 2 weeks prior to study day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., =\< grade 2 or at baseline) from adverse events due to a previously administered agent; Note: If the subject received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting therapy * Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment other than adjuvant hormonal therapy; exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or in situ cervical cancer * 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 (e.g., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment * Has a known history of, or any evidence of active, non-infectious pneumonitis * Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy * Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the trial, or is not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator * Has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial * Is pregnant, or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of treatment with pembrolizumab, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment * Has received prior therapy with anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agent * Has a history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies) * Has known active hepatitis B (e.g., hepatitis B surface antigen \[HBsAg\] reactive) or hepatitis C (e.g., hepatitis C virus \[HCV\] ribonucleic acid \[RNA\] \[qualitative\] is detected) * 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 are live attenuated vaccines, and are not allowed

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Oral Cancer-free Survival51.2 monthsTo determine oral cancer-free survival and overall survival of patients with high risk oral IEN treated with Pembrolizumab versus observation

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Overall SurvivalOverall survival was defined as from the randomization to death of all causes, whichever occurred first or last follow up.To determine overall survival of patients with high risk oral IEN treated with pembrolizumab versus observation. The distribtuion of overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Arm A (Control)
Observation
7
Arm B (Pembrolizumab)
Pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 courses until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity
8
Total15

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyAdverse Event10

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicArm A (Control)Arm B (Pembrolizumab)Total
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
3 Participants4 Participants7 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
4 Participants4 Participants8 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
7 Participants7 Participants14 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
7 Participants7 Participants14 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
7 participants8 participants15 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
2 Participants7 Participants9 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
5 Participants1 Participants6 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
1 / 77 / 8
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 76 / 8
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 70 / 8

Outcome results

Primary

Oral Cancer-free Survival

To determine oral cancer-free survival and overall survival of patients with high risk oral IEN treated with Pembrolizumab versus observation

Time frame: 51.2 months

Population: Intent-to-treat population

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Arm A (Control)Oral Cancer-free SurvivalNA Months
Arm B (Pembrolizumab )Oral Cancer-free Survival6.7 Months
Secondary

Overall Survival

To determine overall survival of patients with high risk oral IEN treated with pembrolizumab versus observation. The distribtuion of overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method.

Time frame: Overall survival was defined as from the randomization to death of all causes, whichever occurred first or last follow up.

Population: Intent-to-treat population

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Arm A (Control)Overall SurvivalNA months
Arm B (Pembrolizumab )Overall SurvivalNA months

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 25, 2026