Quad-Shot Radiotherapy in Combination With Immune Checkpoint Inhibition for Advanced/Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer
Overview
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Intervention
- Pembrolizumab (immunotherapy)
- Conditions
- Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Sponsor
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Enrollment
- 21
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Overall Response -
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 5 months ago
Overview
Brief Summary
This is a single-arm, non-randomized pilot study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of combination quad-shot palliative radiotherapy with immunotherapy for advanced/recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer.
Detailed Description
Primary Objective: Measure the overall response rate for immunotherapy given with quad-shot radiotherapy. Secondary Objective(s) * Measure the response rate at the target lesion. * Measure the response rate at non-target sites in patients with non-target sites. * Evaluate the durability of response at the target lesion. * Evaluate progression-free survival. * Evaluate overall survival. * Assess the tolerability of the combination of quad-shot radiotherapy with immunotherapy in order to assess the feasibility of this treatment regimen. Exploratory Objective: Evaluate the effect of quad- shot administration on increasing the immune activation by treatment with pembrolizumab and investigate possible mechanisms. OUTLINE: Patients receive standard of care pembrolizumab intravenously (IV) over 30 minutes every 3 weeks. Cycles repeat every 3 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients also undergo quad-shot radiation therapy twice daily (BID) on 2 consecutive days between cycles 2-3 or 3-4, 6-7, and 11-12 of pembrolizumab treatment and in the last week of pembrolizumab treatment. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 1 and 2 months for adverse events monitoring. Patients will be followed until death for monitoring survival study endpoints. Frequency of visits will be established by the treating physician and will be done in person or over the phone.
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Advanced, recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, as defined by clinical or pathological diagnosis of any of the following:
- •Locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma not suitable for curative local treatment.
- •Locally recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma not suitable for curative local treatment within or outside a previously irradiated tissue.
- •Metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
- •Target site in the head and neck region amenable to quad-shot palliative radiotherapy, for which palliative radiotherapy is recommended, as determined by the treating radiation oncologist.
- •Age 18 years or greater at time of registration.
- •ECOG Performance Status of 0-
- •Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately.
- •Ability to understand and the willingness to sign an IRB-approved informed consent document (either directly or via a legally authorized representative).
- •Willingness to provide blood and saliva samples for exploratory research purposes.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Radiation therapy to the planned quad-shot radiotherapy target region within 30 days of registration.
- •Prior radiotherapy to the head and neck that precludes safe delivery of study radiotherapy, as determined by the treating radiation oncologist.
- •Active medical conditions that are contraindications to study radiotherapy (i.e. scleroderma), as determined by the treating radiation oncologist.
- •Pregnant or lactating women are excluded from this study because radiotherapy is contraindicated in pregnancy and because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with immunotherapy.
- •Participation in another clinical study with an investigational product during the last 3 months.
- •Any previous treatment with a PD1 or PD-L1 inhibitor.
- •Any anti-cancer therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, endocrine therapy, targeted therapy, biologic therapy, tumor embolization, monoclonal antibodies, other investigational agent) within the last 30 days. Note: this excludes palliative radiotherapy to the non-target site.
- •Mean QT interval corrected for heart rate (QTc) ≥470 ms except for patients with pacemaker who have a paced ventricular rhythm.
- •Current or prior use of immunosuppressive medication within 30 days, with exceptions of intranasal and inhaled corticosteroids, a brief, non-sustained corticosteroids treatment for incidental problems such as allergies (at the discretion of the treating physician) or sustained systemic corticosteroids treatment at physiological doses, which are not to exceed 10 mg/day of prednisone, or an equivalent corticosteroid except for short course of prednisone that is prescribed for acute allergic situations or for prevention of an allergy to contrast substance utilized for imaging studies.
- •Any unresolved toxicity (\>CTCAE grade \> 2) from previous anti-cancer therapy. Subjects with irreversible toxicity that is not reasonably expected to be exacerbated by the investigational product may be included (e.g., hearing loss, peripherally neuropathy).
Arms & Interventions
Quad-shot palliative radiotherapy and Immunotherapy
Systemic therapy (ICI) and radiotherapy will be administered according to the standard of care, according to the treating medical oncologist and radiation oncologist, respectively
Intervention: Pembrolizumab (immunotherapy)
Quad-shot palliative radiotherapy and Immunotherapy
Systemic therapy (ICI) and radiotherapy will be administered according to the standard of care, according to the treating medical oncologist and radiation oncologist, respectively
Intervention: Quad-shot palliative radiotherapy
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Overall Response -
Time Frame: Up to 2 years
Overall response will be measured according to RECIST 1.1 criteria to determine the percentage of participants with either a partial or complete response and the corresponding 95% Clopper-Pearson exact confidence interval. The best overall response is the best response recorded from the start of the treatment across all time points. COMPLETE RESPONSE: Disappearance (or decrease to the point at which measurement is not possible) of all target lesions. Any pathological lymph nodes (whether target or non-target) must have reduction in short axis to \<10 mm (the sum may not be "0" if there are target nodes) PARTIAL RESPONSE: At least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum of diameters
Secondary Outcomes
- Response Rate in the Target Lesions(Up to 2 years)
- Duration of Response at the Target Lesions - Median Measurement(Up to 2 years)
- Progression-Free Survival(Up to 2 years.)
- Overall Survival - Survival Rate Percentages(Up to 2 years)
- Tolerability - Adverse Events Assessed Using PRO-CTCAE Version 5.0(Up to 2 years)
- Response Rate in the Non-Target Lesions(Up to 2 years)
- Duration of Response at the Target Lesions - Mean Measurement(Up to 2 years)
- Progression-Free Survival - Survival Rate Percentages(Up to 2 years.)
- Overall Survival - Months(Up to 2 years)