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Focused Ultrasound and Pembrolizumab in Metastatic Breast Cancer

Focused Ultrasound Therapy to Augment Antigen Presentation and Immune-Specificity of Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy With Pembrolizumab in Metastatic Breast Cancer

Status
Terminated
Phases
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03237572
Acronym
Breast-48
Enrollment
13
Registered
2017-08-02
Start date
2017-09-25
Completion date
2022-06-17
Last updated
2026-02-09

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

Conditions

Breast Cancer

Keywords

breast cancer, pembrolizumab, focused ultrasound, immunotherapy

Brief summary

This pilot study evaluates the use of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) combined with pembrolizumab in patients with metastatic breast cancer. One-half of participants will be randomized to receive the first dose of pembrolizumab after HIFU and one-half of participants will be randomized to receive their first dose of pembrolizumab before HIFU.

Interventions

DRUGPembrolizumab

Pembrolizumab (200 mg)

Ablation will target 50% of the tumor, up to 3 cubic centimeters

Sponsors

Patrick Dillon, MD
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Pilot, 2-arm randomized study

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

(summary): * Histologically confirmed metastatic or unresectable breast cancer * Any receptor status (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2 receptor). Patients who are HR+ should also no longer be candidates for hormonal-based therapy. Patients who are HER2+ should have progressed on or no longer be candidates for available HER2 directed therapy. Hormonal therapy must be stopped prior to day 1 of treatment. * Patients must have had at least one prior line of therapy for breast cancer in the metastatic setting. * Patients must have an accessible lesion in the breast/chest wall/axilla which has not been previously thermally ablated. Prior breast irradiation is acceptable if the lesion has recurred or grown following radiation. * Patients must agree to use an adequate method of contraception for the course of the study through 120 days after the last dose of study medication. * Patients must have at least one target lesion in breast/chest wall/axilla which is amenable to application of high intensity focused ultrasound: * Patients must be willing to provide tissue from a newly obtained core or excisional biopsy of a tumor lesion. * Performance status of 0 or 1 on the ECOG Performance Scale. * Adequate organ function

Exclusion criteria

(summary): * Patients currently participating and receiving study therapy or patients who have participated in a study of an investigational agent and received study therapy or used an investigational device within 4 weeks of the first dose of treatment. * Patients with a diagnosis of immunodeficiency, patients receiving systemic steroid therapy or, patients who have received any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment. * Patients with a known history of active Tuberculosis * Hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients * Prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study Day 1. Patients who have not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier are excluded. * Prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 2 weeks prior to study Day 1. Patients who has not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to a previously administered agent. * Known additional 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. * Known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. * Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years. * History of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or current pneumonitis. * Active infection requiring systemic therapy. * Pregnancy * Prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agent within the prior 24 weeks. * Known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) * Receipt of a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy. * HIFU must not be applied to a breast with an implant. A region outside of the breast may be targeted as long as the targeted area is at least 10mm away from an implant.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Proportion of CD8+ Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytesbaseline and week 4How many of the immune cells inside a tumor are a specific type of "killer" T cell

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORPatrick Dillon, MD

University of Virginia

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic
Age, Customized53.2 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.9
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status1.3 units on a scale
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
1 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
7 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
3 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
7 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
7 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
7 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
0 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 60 / 7
other
Total, other adverse events
6 / 67 / 7
serious
Total, serious adverse events
1 / 63 / 7

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 24, 2026