Tazemetostat + PD-1 Blockade for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Quillan Huang, MD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Phase 1 & 2

Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development

Must not be taking: CYP3A4 inducers/inhibitors

Disqualifiers: Neuroendocrine cancer, Cerebral metastases, Autoimmune disease, HIV, others

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

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

66 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This is an open label, single arm, phase Ib/II clinical trial of checkpoint blockade, pembrolizumab and EZH2 inhibitor, tulmimetostat combination therapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who have progressed from front or second-line treatment. Patients will be enrolled at multiple Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

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

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, you cannot take medications that strongly affect the liver enzyme CYP3A4, like certain antibiotics or herbal supplements such as St. John's wort. It's best to discuss your current medications with the trial team.

What data supports the effectiveness of the drug Tazemetostat + PD-1 Blockade for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?

Pembrolizumab, a part of this treatment, has shown promising results in treating non-small cell lung cancer, especially in patients with PD-L1-positive tumors. It is already approved for use in certain lung cancers and has demonstrated clinical activity in various solid tumors. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the combination of Tazemetostat and Pembrolizumab safe for humans?

Pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, has been used in various cancer treatments and is generally considered safe, but it can cause immune-related side effects like type 1 diabetes, thyroid issues, and inflammation of organs such as the lungs and liver. Tazemetostat's safety profile is not detailed here, but Pembrolizumab's known side effects should be considered when evaluating the combination's safety. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

What makes the drug combination of Tazemetostat and Pembrolizumab unique for treating non-small cell lung cancer?

The combination of Tazemetostat and Pembrolizumab is unique because it combines a PD-1 inhibitor (Pembrolizumab) that helps the immune system attack cancer cells with Tazemetostat, which targets specific enzymes involved in cancer cell growth. This dual approach may offer a novel way to enhance the effectiveness of treatment for non-small cell lung cancer. ^{1 2 8 9 10}

Research Team

Daniel S Shin, MD PhD

Principal Investigator

Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for adults with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who've seen their disease progress after anti-PD-1/L1 therapy. They must have good performance status (ECOG 0-1), provide a tumor tissue sample, and have measurable disease. Adequate organ function and agreement to use contraception are required. Those with certain infections, recent major surgery, active pneumonitis or autoimmune diseases, other cancers within 3 years, or severe hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab can't participate.

Inclusion Criteria

I am not pregnant and will use birth control during the trial.

I am fully active or can carry out light work.

My cancer has worsened despite treatment with an anti-PD-1/L1 drug.

Exclusion Criteria

I have not needed treatment for an autoimmune disease in the last 2 years.

You are pregnant at the time of the study treatment.

My lung cancer is a low to intermediate grade neuroendocrine type.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Safety Lead-in Phase Ib

Safety lead-in phase using BOIN with 2 dose levels of tulmimetostat to determine recommended dose for phase II

Duration not specified

Multiple visits for dose administration and monitoring

Treatment Phase II

Combination treatment with tulmimetostat and pembrolizumab for up to 2 years

2 years

Pembrolizumab every 3 weeks, tulmimetostat daily

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

1 year

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Pembrolizumab
• Tazemetostat

Trial Overview The study tests the combination of Tazemetostat (an EZH2 inhibitor) and Pembrolizumab (a checkpoint blockade therapy) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer at multiple Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. It's an open-label phase Ib/II trial where all participants receive the same treatment without a comparison group.

Participant Groups

Group I: combination of tulmimetostat and pembrolizumab Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Enrolled patients will receive combination treatment for whole study duration (2 years). For first cycle, patient will start tulmimetostat one week prior to start every 3 week pembrolizumab intravenous infusion (pembrolizumab will be given day 8 only for the first cycle, rest of cycles will be day 1 of each cycle).

Pembrolizumab is already approved in United States, European Union, United Kingdom for the following indications:

Approved in United States as KEYTRUDA for:

• Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with PD-L1 CPS ≥1
• Melanoma
• Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
• Urothelial carcinoma
• Colorectal cancer
• Gastric cancer
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Renal cell carcinoma
• Cervical cancer
• Endometrial carcinoma

Approved in European Union as KEYTRUDA for:

• Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with PD-L1 CPS ≥1
• Melanoma
• Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
• Urothelial carcinoma
• Colorectal cancer
• Gastric cancer
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Renal cell carcinoma
• Cervical cancer
• Endometrial carcinoma

Approved in United Kingdom as KEYTRUDA for:

• Untreated metastatic or unresectable recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with PD-L1 CPS ≥1

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

VA Office of Research and Development

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,691

Recruited

3,759,000+

VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

Collaborator

Trials

53

Recruited

8,700+

Findings from Research

In a phase II trial involving 15 patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), neoadjuvant treatment with pembrolizumab showed a major pathologic response in 27% of patients, indicating promising antitumor activity before surgery.

The treatment was found to be feasible and safe, with only 33% of patients experiencing moderate adverse events, and no postoperative mortality, suggesting that pembrolizumab does not compromise surgical outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Neoadjuvant anti-programmed death-1 immunotherapy by pembrolizumab in resectable non-small cell lung cancer: First clinical experience. Eichhorn, F., Klotz, LV., Kriegsmann, M., et al.[2022]

Pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, has demonstrated clinical effectiveness in treating various solid tumors, particularly in patients with PD-L1-positive non-small-cell lung cancer and unresectable/metastatic melanoma.

Early-phase trials and ongoing studies are focused on further confirming the clinical benefits of pembrolizumab in thoracic malignancies, highlighting its potential as a significant treatment option in cancer therapy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab for the treatment of thoracic malignancies: current landscape and future directions. Karim, S., Leighl, N.[2017]

A 68-year-old patient with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma showed an unexpected positive response to paclitaxel after failing treatment with pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

The patient experienced a response duration of over fourteen months with paclitaxel, suggesting that combining or sequencing chemotherapy with immunotherapy may enhance treatment effectiveness in certain cases.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Prolonged response with paclitaxel after immunotherapy by pembrolizumab in lung cancer]. Zapata, E., Mennecier, B., Leduc, C., et al.[2017]

In the CITYSCAPE trial involving 275 patients with chemotherapy-naive, PD-L1-positive non-small-cell lung cancer, the combination of tiragolumab and atezolizumab resulted in a significantly higher objective response rate (31.3% vs. 16.2%) and improved median progression-free survival (5.4 months vs. 3.6 months) compared to placebo plus atezolizumab.

The safety profile of tiragolumab plus atezolizumab was generally similar to that of atezolizumab alone, with serious treatment-related adverse events occurring in 21% of patients in the combination group, indicating that this combination therapy is well tolerated.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Tiragolumab plus atezolizumab versus placebo plus atezolizumab as a first-line treatment for PD-L1-selected non-small-cell lung cancer (CITYSCAPE): primary and follow-up analyses of a randomised, double-blind, phase 2 study. Cho, BC., Abreu, DR., Hussein, M., et al.[2022]

In a Phase 2 study involving 35 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, neoadjuvant pembrolizumab was found to be safe and well tolerated, with only one surgery delay due to thyroiditis and no mortality within 90 days post-surgery.

The study showed a high rate of R0 resection (88%) and a major pathologic response in 28% of patients, indicating that pembrolizumab may be more effective than standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in this setting.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Perioperative outcomes of pulmonary resection after neoadjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Tong, BC., Gu, L., Wang, X., et al.[2022]

Pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor used in cancer treatment, can lead to rare but serious immune-related adverse events, including type 1 diabetes mellitus, occurring in about 0.2% of cases.

A review of 42 cases revealed that patients may develop diabetic ketoacidosis during treatment, highlighting the need for blood glucose monitoring and awareness of this potential side effect among clinicians.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Programmed Cell Death-1 Inhibitor-Induced Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Clotman, K., Janssens, K., Specenier, P., et al.[2022]

An elderly male patient on pembrolizumab developed four autoimmune toxicities, including type 1 diabetes and pneumonitis, highlighting the risk of multiple immune-related adverse events associated with this treatment.

The case suggests that aging may increase susceptibility to these adverse effects, necessitating close monitoring and prompt management, including stopping the immunotherapy and using steroids for treatment.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Multiple autoimmune side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors in a patient with metastatic melanoma receiving pembrolizumab. Kethireddy, N., Thomas, S., Bindal, P., et al.[2021]

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was approved by the FDA for treating metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) in patients with tumors expressing PD-L1, showing significant improvements in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in two major clinical trials with thousands of participants.

In the KEYNOTE-024 trial, pembrolizumab demonstrated a 40% reduction in the risk of death compared to chemotherapy, while in the KEYNOTE-010 trial, it also showed a significant survival advantage over chemotherapy in patients who had previously progressed on treatment.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

FDA Approval Summary: Pembrolizumab for Treatment of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: First-Line Therapy and Beyond. Pai-Scherf, L., Blumenthal, GM., Li, H., et al.[2022]

A network meta-analysis of five trials showed that PD-1 inhibitors (pembrolizumab and nivolumab) had higher overall response rates (ORR) compared to the PD-L1 inhibitor (atezolizumab), particularly in patients with high PD-L1 expression.

Both pembrolizumab and nivolumab demonstrated superior overall survival (OS) benefits in various patient subgroups, but treatment decisions should also consider individual patient characteristics and safety profiles.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Comparative efficacy and safety of immunotherapies targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway for previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A Bayesian network meta-analysis. Almutairi, AR., Alkhatib, N., Martin, J., et al.[2019]

In a study of 100 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with pembrolizumab, further stratification of PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) beyond 50% did not significantly affect progression-free survival (PFS).

Smoking status was associated with improved PFS, while prior radiotherapy was linked to decreased PFS, indicating that these factors, along with performance status, may serve as important biomarkers for predicting response to pembrolizumab treatment.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab monotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): can patient stratification be improved in the UK Tayside population? A retrospective cohort study. Mander, ES., Merrick, CB., Nicholson, HA., et al.[2023]

References

1. Ireland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Neoadjuvant anti-programmed death-1 immunotherapy by pembrolizumab in resectable non-small cell lung cancer: First clinical experience. [2022]

2. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab for the treatment of thoracic malignancies: current landscape and future directions. [2017]

3. France pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Prolonged response with paclitaxel after immunotherapy by pembrolizumab in lung cancer]. [2017]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Tiragolumab plus atezolizumab versus placebo plus atezolizumab as a first-line treatment for PD-L1-selected non-small-cell lung cancer (CITYSCAPE): primary and follow-up analyses of a randomised, double-blind, phase 2 study. [2022]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Perioperative outcomes of pulmonary resection after neoadjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. [2022]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Programmed Cell Death-1 Inhibitor-Induced Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. [2022]

7. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Multiple autoimmune side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors in a patient with metastatic melanoma receiving pembrolizumab. [2021]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

FDA Approval Summary: Pembrolizumab for Treatment of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: First-Line Therapy and Beyond. [2022]

9. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Comparative efficacy and safety of immunotherapies targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway for previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A Bayesian network meta-analysis. [2019]

10. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab monotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): can patient stratification be improved in the UK Tayside population? A retrospective cohort study. [2023]