Pembrolizumab + Bevacizumab for Brain Cancer and Lung Cancer

No longer recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Tara McPartland

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Phase 2

Sponsor: Yale University

Must not be taking: Corticosteroids, Warfarin

Disqualifiers: Symptomatic brain metastases, Active autoimmune, Pneumonitis, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Prior Safety Data This treatment has passed at least one previous human trial

Breakthrough Therapy This drug has been fast-tracked for approval by the FDA given its high promise

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 84 months

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests the combination of two drugs, pembrolizumab (an immunotherapy) and bevacizumab (an anti-angiogenic drug), to determine their effectiveness and safety in treating brain metastases in patients with melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Researchers aim to understand how these drugs work together and whether specific biomarkers can identify those who benefit most. Suitable participants have untreated brain metastases from melanoma or NSCLC that are asymptomatic and do not require immediate treatment. As a Phase 2 trial, the research focuses on measuring the treatment's effectiveness in an initial, smaller group of people.

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial protocol does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, you must not have had other systemic therapy within 14 days before starting the trial drugs, and you cannot use corticosteroids to control brain symptoms, except for low-dose use (10 mg of prednisone or equivalent).

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that combining the drugs pembrolizumab and bevacizumab is generally safe for patients with cancer that has spread to the brain. In earlier studies, pembrolizumab proved safe for individuals with small, asymptomatic brain tumors. Additionally, when combined with bevacizumab, about 54% of patients experienced a positive response in their brain tumors. Although side effects may occur, these findings suggest that most people can tolerate the treatment. Discuss any concerns with a doctor to determine if this trial is suitable. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why do researchers think this study treatment might be promising?

Researchers are excited about the combination of pembrolizumab and bevacizumab for brain metastases from melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) because it brings a fresh approach to treatment. Pembrolizumab is an immunotherapy that helps the immune system detect and attack cancer cells, while bevacizumab is an angiogenesis inhibitor that cuts off the blood supply tumors need to grow. Combining these two drugs could offer a dual attack on cancer by both boosting immune response and starving tumors, which is different from traditional chemotherapy that targets all rapidly dividing cells. This approach holds the promise of being more targeted and potentially more effective with fewer side effects.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for brain cancer and lung cancer?

This trial will evaluate the combination of pembrolizumab and bevacizumab for treating brain metastases from melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Research has shown that using pembrolizumab with bevacizumab may help treat melanoma that has spread to the brain, with 54% of patients in one study experiencing tumor shrinkage. This finding suggests that bevacizumab might enhance the effects of pembrolizumab.

For brain metastases from NSCLC, treatments like pembrolizumab have effectively helped the immune system fight cancer cells. Although specific data on combining bevacizumab with pembrolizumab for NSCLC is limited, pembrolizumab alone has been shown to help patients with advanced NSCLC live longer. Participants in this trial will receive the combination therapy to assess its effectiveness in these conditions. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Harriett Kluger, MD

Principal Investigator

Yale University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for adults with melanoma or non-squamous NSCLC who have small, untreated brain metastases not requiring immediate therapy. Participants must be in good general health with a life expectancy of at least 3 months and no severe autoimmune diseases, uncontrolled hypertension, significant bleeding disorders, or active infections like HIV/HBV/HCV. Pregnant/breastfeeding individuals and those treated with certain cancer drugs recently are excluded.

Inclusion Criteria

My NSCLC tumor shows PD-L1 presence based on a specific test.

You are expected to live for at least 3 more months.

Understanding and willingness to consent

Exclusion Criteria

My high blood pressure is not well controlled, even with medication.

I do not have any other active cancers besides the one being studied, except for skin cancer.

I haven't had chemotherapy or targeted therapy in the last 2 weeks and have recovered from previous treatment side effects.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive pembrolizumab in combination with bevacizumab to study activity and safety in patients with untreated brain metastases from melanoma or NSCLC

84 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

12 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Pembrolizumab plus Bevacizumab

Trial Overview The study tests the combination of pembrolizumab plus bevacizumab on brain metastases from melanoma or NSCLC to assess effectiveness and safety. It includes biomarker studies to predict treatment benefits. The phase 2 trial will enroll 53 patients over approximately 84 months, with follow-up for an additional year.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Untreated brain metastases from melanoma Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

pembrolizumab plus bevacizumab

Group II: Untreated brain metastases from NSCLC Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

pembrolizumab plus bevacizumab

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Yale University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,963

Recruited

3,046,000+

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Collaborator

Trials

14,080

Recruited

41,180,000+

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Industry Sponsor

Trials

4,096

Recruited

5,232,000+

Chirfi Guindo

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Chief Marketing Officer since 2022

Degree in Engineering from Ecole Centrale de Paris, MBA from New York University Stern School of Business

Robert M. Davis

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Chief Executive Officer since 2021

JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Bachelor's in Finance from Miami University

Published Research Related to This Trial

In a study of 102 patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, both pembrolizumab and bevacizumab combined with pemetrexed-platinum chemotherapy showed comparable efficacy in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Patients with a baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of 3.10 or lower experienced significantly better overall survival when treated with bevacizumab, suggesting that this biomarker could help tailor treatment choices.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Direct Comparison Between the Addition of Pembrolizumab or Bevacizumab for Chemotherapy-Based First-Line Treatment of Advanced Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Lacking Driver Mutations. Liao, J., Liu, C., Long, Q., et al.[2022]

In a study of 85 patients with driver gene-negative stage IV lung adenocarcinoma, combining bevacizumab with pembrolizumab significantly improved the overall effective rate (48.89% vs. 27.50%) and disease control rate (93.33% vs. 72.50%) compared to the control group receiving only chemotherapy and pembrolizumab.

The combination treatment also led to a significant increase in cellular immune function and improved quality of life, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 13.00 months for the combination group compared to 9.00 months for the control group, indicating enhanced short-term therapeutic effectiveness.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Clinical Study on the Efficacy of Bevacizumab in Combination with Pembrolizumab on Cellular Immune Function in the Treatment of Driver Gene-Negative Stage IV Lung Adenocarcinoma. Gong, J., Gu, J., Jiang, L., et al.[2022]

The ARTEMIS study shows that combining the VEGF inhibitor bevacizumab with the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib significantly improves progression-free survival in patients with EGFR mutant non-small-cell lung cancer by over 6 months.

Patients with brain metastases and the EGFR L858R mutation experienced even greater benefits, highlighting the importance of personalized treatment strategies in cancer therapy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

ARTEMIS highlights VEGF inhibitors as effective partners for EGFR TKIs in EGFR mutant NSCLC. Le, X., Nilsson, MB., Robichaux, JP., et al.[2021]

Pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, has been approved for treating unresectable or metastatic melanoma, especially in patients who have progressed after ipilimumab treatment, marking a significant advancement in immuno-oncology.

The drug has also received breakthrough status for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that is EGFR mutation-negative and ALK rearrangement-negative, indicating its broad potential in cancer therapy, with ongoing trials to explore its use in various tumor types.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab. Khoja, L., Butler, MO., Kang, SP., et al.[2022]

In a real-world study of 54 patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, the combination of carboplatin, pemetrexed, and pembrolizumab showed a higher disease control rate (86.7%) compared to carboplatin and pemetrexed alone (54%).

Patients with brain metastases treated with the combination therapy had a significantly lower progression rate (33.3%) compared to those receiving only carboplatin and pemetrexed (91.7%), indicating that this regimen may be particularly effective for this challenging patient group.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A tertiary care cancer center experience with carboplatin and pemetrexed in combination with pembrolizumab in comparison with carboplatin and pemetrexed alone in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Afzal, MZ., Dragnev, K., Shirai, K.[2023]

In a phase 2 trial involving 36 patients with untreated brain metastases from melanoma or non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pembrolizumab demonstrated activity, achieving a brain metastasis response in 22% of melanoma patients and 33% of NSCLC patients, with responses being durable for most.

The treatment had an acceptable safety profile, with serious adverse events occurring in a small percentage of patients, indicating that systemic immunotherapy could be a viable option for those with untreated or progressive brain metastases.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab for patients with melanoma or non-small-cell lung cancer and untreated brain metastases: early analysis of a non-randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial. Goldberg, SB., Gettinger, SN., Mahajan, A., et al.[2022]

In a phase 2 trial involving 42 patients with untreated brain metastases from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pembrolizumab showed a 29.7% response rate in patients with PD-L1 expression of at least 1%, indicating its efficacy in treating brain metastases.

The treatment was generally safe, with serious adverse events occurring in 14% of patients, but no treatment-related deaths were reported, suggesting that pembrolizumab can be a viable option for selected patients with CNS involvement.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab for management of patients with NSCLC and brain metastases: long-term results and biomarker analysis from a non-randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial. Goldberg, SB., Schalper, KA., Gettinger, SN., et al.[2021]

Pembrolizumab combined with adjuvant chemotherapy significantly improves one-year survival rates, overall response rates, and progression-free survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), based on a meta-analysis of 14 studies.

This treatment not only enhances efficacy but also reduces the incidence of adverse drug reactions, indicating a favorable safety profile, although further validation through larger randomized controlled trials is needed.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Clinical Efficacy and Safety Analysis of PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitor vs. Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Guo, WW., Zhang, TW., Wang, BL., et al.[2023]

In a study comparing pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy to atezolizumab combined with chemotherapy (with or without bevacizumab) in patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC, pembrolizumab showed significantly better overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

The analysis indicated that pembrolizumab + chemotherapy had a hazard ratio of 0.80 for OS and 0.79 for PFS compared to atezolizumab + chemotherapy, suggesting it may be a more effective treatment option for these patients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab+chemotherapy versus atezolizumab+chemotherapy+/-bevacizumab for the first-line treatment of non-squamous NSCLC: A matching-adjusted indirect comparison. Halmos, B., Burke, T., Kalyvas, C., et al.[2021]

Citations

1. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02681549

Study Details | NCT02681549 | Pembrolizumab Plus ... The purpose of this phase 2 trial is to study the activity of pembrolizumab in combination with bevacizumab in patients with untreated brain metastases from ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12170236/

Comparative effectiveness of pembrolizumab-chemotherapy ... Pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy may prolong survival in patients with PD-L1-negative advanced NSCLC, particularly those with squamous ...

3. tlcr.amegroups.org tlcr.amegroups.org/article/view/73480/html

Efficacy of different therapies for brain metastases of non ... Our study found that non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastases (BM) who received immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapies ...

4. nature.com nature.com/articles/s41698-025-00901-0

Immunotherapy in lung cancer brain metastases This review explores the immune landscape of brain metastatic disease, emerging immunotherapeutic strategies, and promising biomarkers in NSCLC patients.

5. nejm.org nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1801005

Pembrolizumab plus Chemotherapy in Metastatic Non– ... In this double-blind, phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned (in a 2:1 ratio) 616 patients with metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC without sensitizing ...

6. ascopubs.org ascopubs.org/do/pembrolizumab-and-bevacizumab-melanoma-brain-metastases

Podcast: Pembrolizumab and Bevacizumab for Melanoma ... Harriet Kluger discuss the JCO article "Phase II Trial of Pembrolizumab in Combination With Bevacizumab for Untreated Melanoma Brain Metastases.

7. targetedonc.com targetedonc.com/view/pembrolizumab-plus-bevacizumab-shows-promise-for-melanoma-brain-metastases

Pembrolizumab Plus Bevacizumab Shows Promise for ... The combination led to a brain metastasis response rate—the primary end point of the study—of 54.1% (95% CI, 36.9-70.5) and an extracranial ...

8. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5526047/

A Phase II trial of pembrolizumab for patients with melanoma ... In this Phase II trial, we found that pembrolizumab is safe in patients with small, asymptomatic brain metastases, and has evidence of activity ...

9. cancer.gov cancer.gov/research/participate/clinical-trials-search/v?id=NCI-2016-00938

Pembrolizumab and Bevacizumab in Treating Patients with ... This phase II trial studies how well pembrolizumab and bevacizumab work in treating patients with melanoma that has spread to the other parts of the body.