Cabozantinib + Nivolumab for Advanced Skin and Head & Neck Cancers

Recruiting at 220 trial locations

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Phase 2

Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Must not be taking: Anticoagulants, Steroids, CYP3A4 inducers

Disqualifiers: Pregnancy, Organ dysfunction, Autoimmune disease, 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: 13

Duration: 2 years

150 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This phase II trial studies the good and bad effects of the combination of drugs called cabozantinib and nivolumab in treating patients with melanoma or squamous cell head and neck cancer that may have spread from where it first started to nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or distant parts of the body (advanced). Cabozantinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial may help doctors determine how quickly patients can be divided into groups based on biomarkers in their tumors. A biomarker is a biological molecule found in the blood, other body fluids, or in tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process or a sign of a condition or disease. A biomarker may be used to see how well the body responds to a treatment for a disease or condition. The two biomarkers that this trial is studying are "tumor mutational burden" and "tumor inflammation signature." Another purpose of this trial is to help doctors learn if cabozantinib and nivolumab shrink or stabilize the cancer, and whether patients respond differently to the combination depending on the status of the biomarkers.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, you must not take certain medications like strong CYP3A4 inducers or inhibitors, and you should not be on anticoagulants like warfarin unless it's low-dose aspirin or specific other anticoagulants. It's best to discuss your current medications with the trial team.

What data supports the effectiveness of the drug combination of Cabozantinib and Nivolumab for advanced skin and head & neck cancers?

Research shows that combining cabozantinib, a type of drug that affects blood vessels in tumors, with anti-PD-1 drugs like pembrolizumab has shown promising results in head and neck cancers, with a high rate of patients experiencing tumor shrinkage or stable disease. Additionally, nivolumab, another anti-PD-1 drug, has been effective in treating head and neck cancers, suggesting that combining it with cabozantinib could be beneficial. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the combination of Cabozantinib and Nivolumab generally safe for humans?

The combination of Cabozantinib and Nivolumab has been studied for safety in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. The safety profile is generally manageable with proper care, though some side effects like diarrhea, skin reactions, and fatigue can occur. Managing these side effects with supportive care and dose adjustments is important to maintain treatment tolerability. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

What makes the drug combination of Cabozantinib and Nivolumab unique for treating advanced skin and head & neck cancers?

The combination of Cabozantinib and Nivolumab is unique because it pairs a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which can modify the immune response, with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, which helps the immune system attack cancer cells. This dual approach may offer enhanced effectiveness compared to using either drug alone. ^{1 3 4 11 12}

Research Team

Siwen Hu-Lieskovan

Principal Investigator

SWOG Cancer Research Network

Eligibility Criteria

Adults with advanced melanoma or squamous cell head and neck cancer that has spread, who have progressed after PD-1 checkpoint therapy. They must be able to take oral medication, have measurable disease, known HPV/p16 status for oropharyngeal cancer, adequate organ function and performance status. Exclusions include prior anti-VEGF therapies, active autoimmune diseases requiring steroids, significant infections or organ dysfunction.

Inclusion Criteria

I haven't had serious heart problems in the last 3 months.

My organs function well enough for treatment.

I do not take steroids or other drugs for an autoimmune disease, with some exceptions.

Exclusion Criteria

Participants must not have received investigational agents or monoclonal antibodies within 28 days prior to step 2 registration

I haven't had cancer treatment or steroids in the last 14 days.

I haven't taken certain medications that affect enzyme levels recently.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

3 weeks

1 visit (in-person)

Treatment

Participants receive nivolumab intravenously and cabozantinib orally. Cycles repeat every 28 days for up to 2 years.

2 years

Monthly visits for drug administration and monitoring

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment completion.

3 years

Every 12 weeks for 1 year, then every 6 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Cabozantinib S-malate
• Nivolumab

Trial Overview The trial is testing the combination of Cabozantinib (an enzyme blocker) and Nivolumab (an immunotherapy antibody) on patients with certain types of advanced cancers. It aims to see if these drugs can shrink or stabilize tumors based on biomarkers like 'tumor mutational burden' and 'tumor inflammation signature'.

Participant Groups

Group I: Treatment (nivolumab and cabozantinib) Experimental Treatment 6 Interventions

Patients receive nivolumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1 of each cycle and cabozantinib PO daily. Cycles repeat every 28 days for 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients also undergo CT or MRI scans and collection of blood samples throughout the trial. Patients undergo a tumor biopsy during screening and optionally during follow-up.

Cabozantinib S-malate is already approved in United States, European Union for the following indications:

Approved in United States as Cabometyx for:

• Advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
• Locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC)

Approved in United States as Cometriq for:

• Medullary thyroid cancer

Approved in European Union as Cabometyx for:

• Advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
• Locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC)

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Lead Sponsor

Trials

14,080

Recruited

41,180,000+

Findings from Research

In a study of 14 heavily pretreated patients with recurrent and metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC), the combination of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib showed an objective response rate of 28.6%, indicating potential efficacy even in patients who had previously failed anti-PD-1 therapy.

The disease control rate was 42.9%, with an overall survival of 6.2 months and progression-free survival of 4.6 months, suggesting that this combination therapy may provide meaningful benefits for patients who have limited treatment options.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Combination of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib is a potential treatment option for heavily pretreated recurrent and metastatic head and neck cancer. Chen, TH., Chang, PM., Yang, MH.[2021]

In a study involving 882 participants with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), pembrolizumab alone significantly improved overall survival compared to cetuximab with chemotherapy, especially in patients with high PD-L1 expression (CPS of 20 or more).

Pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy also showed improved overall survival compared to cetuximab with chemotherapy across all populations, indicating that pembrolizumab is an effective first-line treatment option for HNSCC, particularly for those with PD-L1 positivity.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab alone or with chemotherapy versus cetuximab with chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-048): a randomised, open-label, phase 3 study. Burtness, B., Harrington, KJ., Greil, R., et al.[2021]

Nivolumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, has been FDA-approved for treating recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after platinum-based therapy, but treatment options remain limited for these patients.

A case study of a 46-year-old male with refractory HNSCC showed successful treatment using a combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab, suggesting potential efficacy for this combination therapy in HNSCC, similar to its success in metastatic melanoma.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Successful Treatment of Refractory Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck with Nivolumab and Ipilimumab. Schwab, KS., Kristiansen, G., Schild, HH., et al.[2022]

Chemotherapy remains the primary treatment for recurrent and metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, with the current standard being a combination of cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and cetuximab for fit patients.

Immunotherapy options like nivolumab and pembrolizumab have become new standards in second-line treatment, showing improved overall survival, but further research is needed to identify predictive markers for patient selection.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Chemotherapy for recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancers. Karabajakian, A., Toussaint, P., Neidhardt, EM., et al.[2019]

Cabozantinib combined with nivolumab (CaboNivo) and with ipilimumab (CaboNivoIpi) showed manageable safety profiles, with 75% and 87% of patients experiencing grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events, respectively, including fatigue and hypertension.

The treatment demonstrated promising efficacy, with an overall response rate of 30.6% and a median overall survival of 12.6 months for all patients, while patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma had even better outcomes, with a median overall survival of 25.4 months.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phase I Study of Cabozantinib and Nivolumab Alone or With Ipilimumab for Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma and Other Genitourinary Tumors. Apolo, AB., Nadal, R., Girardi, DM., et al.[2023]

In a phase 3 trial involving 651 patients with untreated advanced renal-cell carcinoma, the combination of nivolumab and cabozantinib significantly improved progression-free survival (16.6 months) compared to sunitinib (8.3 months), with a hazard ratio of 0.51, indicating a 49% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death.

Patients receiving nivolumab plus cabozantinib also had a higher overall survival rate at 12 months (85.7%) compared to those on sunitinib (75.6%), and a greater objective response rate (55.7% vs. 27.1%), although adverse events were common in both groups.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nivolumab plus Cabozantinib versus Sunitinib for Advanced Renal-Cell Carcinoma. Choueiri, TK., Powles, T., Burotto, M., et al.[2022]

The combination of cabozantinib (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor) and nivolumab (an immune checkpoint inhibitor) significantly improved progression-free survival, overall survival, and objective response rates in patients with untreated advanced renal cell carcinoma compared to sunitinib, supporting its approval as a first-line therapy.

While the safety profile of the combination treatment is generally manageable, it requires careful monitoring and management of overlapping adverse events, such as diarrhea and hepatotoxicity, to maintain patient tolerability and treatment effectiveness.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Management of adverse events associated with cabozantinib plus nivolumab in renal cell carcinoma: A review. McGregor, B., Mortazavi, A., Cordes, L., et al.[2023]

In a phase 3 trial involving 855 patients with untreated advanced renal-cell carcinoma, the combination of cabozantinib with nivolumab and ipilimumab significantly improved progression-free survival compared to nivolumab and ipilimumab alone, with a 12-month progression-free survival rate of 57% versus 49%.

However, the experimental group experienced a higher incidence of severe adverse events (grade 3 or 4) at 79%, compared to 56% in the control group, indicating a trade-off between efficacy and safety.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cabozantinib plus Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Renal-Cell Carcinoma. Choueiri, TK., Powles, T., Albiges, L., et al.[2023]

In a real-world analysis of adverse events from two combination therapies for advanced renal cell carcinoma, cabozantinib (CAB) plus nivolumab (NIVO) showed higher incidence rates of seven types of toxicities compared to ipilimumab (IPI) plus NIVO.

Conversely, IPI + NIVO was associated with higher rates of three types of toxicities and had a greater incidence of serious adverse events, suggesting that both therapies have distinct safety profiles that can guide treatment decisions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adverse Events of Cabozantinib Plus Nivolumab Versus Ipilimumab Plus Nivolumab. Blas, L., Shiota, M., Tsukahara, S., et al.[2023]

In a study of platinum-sensitive recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinomas involving 36 patients, both nivolumab and pembrolizumab showed effectiveness, with median overall survival of 16.9 months for nivolumab and 19.2 months for pembrolizumab, indicating similar efficacy between the two treatments.

The median progression-free survival was 4.8 months for nivolumab and 9.3 months for pembrolizumab, with objective response rates of 38% and 47%, respectively, suggesting that both drugs are viable options for treatment in this patient population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Efficacy of Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab in Platinum-sensitive Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Yamashita, G., Okamoto, I., Ito, T., et al.[2023]

References

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

Pembrolizumab and cabozantinib in recurrent metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a phase 2 trial. [2023]

2. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Combination of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib is a potential treatment option for heavily pretreated recurrent and metastatic head and neck cancer. [2021]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab alone or with chemotherapy versus cetuximab with chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-048): a randomised, open-label, phase 3 study. [2021]

4. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Successful Treatment of Refractory Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck with Nivolumab and Ipilimumab. [2022]

5. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Chemotherapy for recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancers. [2019]

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

Phase I Study of Cabozantinib and Nivolumab Alone or With Ipilimumab for Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma and Other Genitourinary Tumors. [2023]

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

Nivolumab plus Cabozantinib versus Sunitinib for Advanced Renal-Cell Carcinoma. [2022]

8. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Management of adverse events associated with cabozantinib plus nivolumab in renal cell carcinoma: A review. [2023]

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

Cabozantinib plus Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Renal-Cell Carcinoma. [2023]

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

Adverse Events of Cabozantinib Plus Nivolumab Versus Ipilimumab Plus Nivolumab. [2023]

11. Greece pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Efficacy of Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab in Platinum-sensitive Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. [2023]

12. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Discordant Responses Between Primary Head and Neck Tumors and Nodal Metastases Treated With Neoadjuvant Nivolumab: Correlation of Radiographic and Pathologic Treatment Effect. [2022]