← Back to Search

Pembrolizumab for Esophageal Cancer

Phase 3
Waitlist Available
Research Sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Be older than 18 years old
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up up to approximately 34 months (through primary analysis cut-off date of 02-jul-2020)
Awards & highlights

Study Summary

This trial is testing a new cancer treatment that may be more effective and have fewer side effects than the current standard of care.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~up to approximately 34 months (through primary analysis cut-off date of 02-jul-2020)
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and up to approximately 34 months (through primary analysis cut-off date of 02-jul-2020) for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Outcome measures can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary outcome measures
OS in All Participants
OS in Participants Whose Tumors Are PD-L1 Biomarker-Positive (CPS ≥10)
OS in Participants With ESCC
+4 more
Secondary outcome measures
Change From Baseline To Week 18 in the EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QoL Combined Score in Participants Whose Tumors Are PD-L1 Biomarker-Positive (CPS ≥10)
Change From Baseline To Week 18 in the EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QoL Combined Score in Participants With ESCC
Change From Baseline To Week 18 in the EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QoL Combined Score in Participants With ESCC Whose Tumors Are PD-L1 Biomarker-Positive (CPS ≥10)
+15 more

Side effects data

From 2024 Phase 2 trial • 57 Patients • NCT03004183
21%
Fatigue
13%
Nausea
11%
Back pain
9%
Shortness of Breath
9%
Anemia
9%
Abdominal pain
9%
Diarrhea
7%
Pneumonia
7%
Kidney Injury and/or Infection
7%
Dyspnea
7%
Weight Loss
5%
Malnutrition, Hypercalcemia and Weakness
5%
Pneumothorax
5%
Intractable pain, back pain, hip pain
5%
Activated partial thromboplastin time prolonged
4%
Pleural effusion
4%
Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response
2%
Thrombocytopenia
2%
Respiratory failure
2%
Skin rash
2%
colitis
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Study treatment Arm
Single Arm

Trial Design

2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Placebo Group
Group I: Pembrolizumab + SOCExperimental Treatment3 Interventions
Participants receive pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously (IV) every 3 weeks (Q3W) plus standard of care (SOC) chemotherapy with cisplatin 80 mg/m^2 IV Q3W and 5-FU 800 mg/m^2/day continuous IV infusion on Days 1 to 5 (120 hours) Q3W. All treatments will be administered on an outpatient basis beginning on Day 1 of each 3-week dosing cycle.
Group II: Placebo + SOCPlacebo Group3 Interventions
Participants receive placebo to pembrolizumab (saline) IV Q3W plus SOC chemotherapy with cisplatin 80 mg/m^2 IV Q3W and 5-FU 800 mg/m^2/day continuous IV infusion on Days 1 to 5 (120 hours) Q3W. All treatments will be administered on an outpatient basis beginning on Day 1 of each 3-week dosing cycle.
Treatment
First Studied
Drug Approval Stage
How many patients have taken this drug
Pembrolizumab
2017
Completed Phase 2
~2010
Cisplatin
2013
Completed Phase 3
~1940
5-FU
2014
Completed Phase 3
~3420

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLCLead Sponsor
3,886 Previous Clinical Trials
5,053,804 Total Patients Enrolled
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.Lead Sponsor
2,286 Previous Clinical Trials
4,581,079 Total Patients Enrolled
Medical DirectorStudy DirectorMerck Sharp & Dohme LLC
2,777 Previous Clinical Trials
8,062,737 Total Patients Enrolled

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers are submitted by anonymous patients, and have not been verified by our internal team.

At how many different sites is this medical trial being conducted?

"In addition to The University of Chicago Medical Center (Site 0001) in Chicago, Illinois and University of Kansas (Site 0029) in Westwood, Kansas, this clinical trial is also enrolling patients at 20 other locations including University of Maryland Medical Center ( Site 0013) in Baltimore, Maryland."

Answered by AI

What is the latest update on Pembrolizumab's progress towards FDA approval?

"Pembrolizumab has been studied in Phase 3 clinical trials, meaning that while there is data supporting its efficacy, multiple rounds of testing have also shown that it is safe."

Answered by AI

For what purpose is Pembrolizumab most often prescribed?

"Pembrolizumab is not just limited to the treatment of malignant neoplasms; it can also help patients manage unresectable melanoma, microsatellite instability high, and rectal carcinoma."

Answered by AI

How many individuals can take part in this research project?

"This particular study is no longer looking for new patients, as noted by the last edit date of January 17th, 2022. However, there are 288 other trials involving cancer of the esophagus that are still enrolling patients and 1852 studies involving Pembrolizumab currently have open recruitment."

Answered by AI

Are patients still being recruited for this research?

"This study is no longer recruiting patients. The clinical trial was first posted on July 25th, 2017 and the last edit was made on January 17th, 2022. However, there are currently 288 trials actively looking for patients with cancer of the esophagus and 1852 studies for Pembrolizumab that are actively searching for participants."

Answered by AI

What are the main goals of this clinical research project?

"The primary outcome of this study is to OS (overall survival) in participants with ESCC (esophageal squamous cell carcinoma). Secondary outcomes include ORR per RECIST 1.1 as assessed by investigator in participants with ESCC whose tumors are PD-L1 biomarker-positive (CPS ≥10), which is defined as ORR was defined as the percentage of participants in the analysis population who had a Complete Response (CR: disappearance of all target lesions) or a Partial Response (PR: ≥30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions) per RECIST 1.1,"

Answered by AI

What is the historical context of Pembrolizumab research?

"Pembrolizumab is currently being trialed in 1852 active studies, with 435 of those trials in the later stages. The majority of these clinical trials are based out of Shanghai; however, there are 83547 total locations running some form of Pembrolizumab trial."

Answered by AI

Who else is applying?

What state do they live in?
North Carolina
How old are they?
65+
What site did they apply to?
University of Tennessee Medical Center Knoxville ( Site 0017)
What portion of applicants met pre-screening criteria?
Met criteria
Recent research and studies
~98 spots leftby Apr 2025