Pembrolizumab + Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer

Not currently recruiting at 1278 trial locations

Overseen By Eric C. McGary

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Phase 3

Sponsor: National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Must not be taking: Checkpoint inhibitors, Steroids

Disqualifiers: EGFR mutations, Auto-immune conditions, others

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

Pivotal Trial (Near Approval) This treatment is in the last trial phase before FDA approval

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 22

Duration: Up to 2 years

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores treatments for individuals with stage IV non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. It aims to determine whether starting treatment with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab alone is more effective than combining it with the chemotherapy drugs pemetrexed and carboplatin from the outset. Pembrolizumab enhances the immune system's ability to fight cancer, while pemetrexed and carboplatin inhibit cancer cell growth and spread. Suitable candidates for this trial have confirmed stage IV non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer with PD-L1 expression in their tumor cells. As a Phase 3 trial, this study represents the final step before FDA approval, offering participants an opportunity to contribute to potentially groundbreaking treatment advancements.

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 cannot be on systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days before starting the trial treatment. It's best to discuss your specific medications with the trial team.

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

Research has shown that the combination of pembrolizumab, pemetrexed, and carboplatin is generally well-tolerated for treating advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Studies comparing this combination to chemotherapy alone found that patients responded better, and their cancer stopped growing for a longer period. This indicates that the treatment was more effective in controlling the cancer.

Regarding safety, previous studies found that adding pembrolizumab to chemotherapy did not cause unexpected side effects. Most patients experienced common side effects like tiredness, nausea, or loss of appetite, typical with chemotherapy. Importantly, serious side effects were not significantly more common in patients receiving pembrolizumab with chemotherapy compared to those receiving only chemotherapy.

For those considering this clinical trial, it is reassuring that this treatment has been used before with a manageable safety profile. Always discuss specific situations and any concerns with a doctor. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial's treatments?

Researchers are excited about these treatments because they combine pembrolizumab with chemotherapy agents like carboplatin and pemetrexed to target lung cancer. Pembrolizumab is an immunotherapy drug that enhances the body's immune response against cancer cells, offering a novel approach compared to traditional chemotherapy alone. Unlike current standard treatments, which primarily focus on directly killing cancer cells, pembrolizumab works by blocking a protein that prevents the immune system from attacking cancer cells. This combination aims to boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy by using the immune system as a partner in the fight against cancer. The potential for longer-lasting responses and improved survival rates makes this a promising option for patients with lung cancer.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for non-small cell lung cancer?

Research has shown that using pembrolizumab with pemetrexed and carboplatin effectively treats advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. In this trial, participants will receive different treatment combinations involving these drugs. One study found that patients receiving this combination lived longer and experienced a longer period before their cancer worsened compared to those who received only chemotherapy. After five years, about 19.4% of patients treated with pembrolizumab and chemotherapy remained alive, indicating a lasting survival benefit. Pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug, helps the immune system attack cancer cells more effectively. Pemetrexed and carboplatin, chemotherapy drugs, stop cancer cells from growing. This combination has shown promising results in improving outcomes for lung cancer patients. ^{1 3 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Hossein Borghaei

Principal Investigator

ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

Adults with stage IV non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, who have not had previous systemic chemotherapy for advanced disease. They must have a PD-L1 expression TPS of at least 1%, be in good physical condition (ECOG 0-1), and may have treated brain metastases if stable. Patients should not be pregnant or breastfeeding, must agree to use contraception, and cannot have certain serious illnesses or organ dysfunctions.

Inclusion Criteria

I am fully active or restricted in physically strenuous activity but can do light work.

I took low-dose Methotrexate for a non-cancer condition and stopped at least 14 days ago.

My hepatitis B is under control or I am cured of hepatitis C.

Exclusion Criteria

My heart is healthy and I haven't had serious heart disease or treatments that could harm my heart.

I have NSCLC but haven't had checkpoint inhibitors for it. I've waited the required time after any previous treatments.

I haven't needed treatment for an autoimmune disease in the last 2 years.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

1 visit (in-person)

Treatment

Participants receive pembrolizumab, pemetrexed, and carboplatin in various combinations depending on the arm, with cycles repeating every 21 days

Up to 2 years

Every 21 days

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

5 years

Regular follow-up visits

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Carboplatin
• Pembrolizumab
• Pemetrexed

Trial Overview The trial is testing the effectiveness of pembrolizumab alone as an initial treatment followed by pemetrexed and carboplatin with/without continued pembrolizumab after disease progression versus starting with all three drugs together then maintaining with pembrolizumab and pemetrexed. It aims to see which method is better for treating patients.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Arm B (pembrolizumab, pemetrexed, carboplatin) Experimental Treatment 7 Interventions

Patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Cycles repeat every 21 days for up to 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Within 6 weeks of disease progression, patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes, pemetrexed IV over 10 minutes, and carboplatin IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes and pemetrexed IV over 10 minutes on day 1. Cycles repeat every 21 days for up to 2 years for pembrolizumab in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity and until to disease progression for pemetrexed. Patients undergo MRI during screening, CT scan and blood sample collection throughout the study, and may undergo PET scan throughout the study.

Group II: Arm A (pembrolizumab, pemetrexed, carboplatin) Experimental Treatment 7 Interventions

Patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Cycles repeat every 21 days for up to 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Within 6 weeks of disease progression, patients receive pemetrexed IV over 10 minutes and carboplatin IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then may receive pemetrexed IV over 10 minutes on day 1. Cycles repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo MRI during screening, CT scan and blood sample collection throughout the study, and may undergo PET scan throughout the study.

Group III: Arm C (pembrolizumab, pembrolizumab, carboplatin) Active Control 7 Interventions

Patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes, pemetrexed IV over 10 minutes, and carboplatin IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes and pemetrexed IV over 10 minutes on day 1. Cycles repeat every 21 days for up to 2 years for pembrolizumab in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity and until to disease progression for pemetrexed. Patients undergo MRI during screening, CT scan and blood sample collection throughout the study, and may undergo PET scan throughout the study.

Carboplatin is already approved in United States, European Union, Canada for the following indications:

Approved in United States as Paraplatin for:

• Ovarian cancer
• Testicular cancer
• Lung cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Brain cancer

Approved in European Union as Carboplatin for:

• Ovarian cancer
• Small cell lung cancer

Approved in Canada as Carboplatin for:

• Ovarian cancer
• Small cell lung cancer
• Testicular cancer

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Lead Sponsor

Trials

14,080

Recruited

41,180,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), significantly improves progression-free and overall survival compared to traditional chemotherapy, with fewer side effects, particularly in patients with high PD-L1 expression (≥50%).

In combination with pemetrexed and carboplatin, pembrolizumab also enhances treatment effectiveness and maintains manageable toxicity, leading to a shift in first-line treatment strategies for advanced NSCLC.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab as first-line therapy for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Reck, M.[2018]

In patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) expressing PD-L1 in ≥50% of tumor cells, pembrolizumab significantly improves progression-free and overall survival compared to traditional platinum-based chemotherapy.

Combining pembrolizumab with standard chemotherapy (pemetrexed and a platinum drug) enhances survival outcomes regardless of PD-L1 expression, indicating a broader efficacy of this combination therapy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Combined Checkpoint Inhibition and Chemotherapy: New Era of 1st-Line Treatment for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. Wang, C., Kulkarni, P., Salgia, R.[2020]

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]

In a phase 2 study involving 216 patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the combination of pembrolizumab and concurrent chemoradiation therapy (cCRT) showed a high objective response rate of approximately 70.5% in cohort A and 70.6% in cohort B, indicating strong antitumor activity.

The treatment was associated with manageable safety, with grade 3 or higher pneumonitis occurring in 8.0% of cohort A and 6.9% of cohort B, suggesting that while there are risks, the benefits of this treatment approach may outweigh them for patients with locally advanced NSCLC.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab Plus Concurrent Chemoradiation Therapy in Patients With Unresectable, Locally Advanced, Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: The Phase 2 KEYNOTE-799 Nonrandomized Trial. Jabbour, SK., Lee, KH., Frost, N., et al.[2022]

The combination of pemetrexed, platinum, and pembrolizumab shows manageable toxicity, with most severe adverse events occurring early in treatment and resolving within two weeks, indicating a favorable safety profile for long-term use.

While there was a slightly higher incidence of renal toxicity in patients receiving the pembrolizumab combination compared to those on pemetrexed alone, this did not increase with longer treatment durations, supporting the regimen's safety in clinical practice.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Safety of pemetrexed plus platinum in combination with pembrolizumab for metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer: A post hoc analysis of KEYNOTE-189. Garon, EB., Aerts, J., Kim, JS., et al.[2023]

In a real-life study of 121 patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, the combination of pembrolizumab and chemotherapy resulted in a median progression-free survival of 9 months and overall survival of 20.6 months, demonstrating its efficacy as a first-line treatment.

The treatment was generally well-tolerated, with manageable side effects; however, 17.5% of patients experienced grade 3-4 adverse events, and there were two treatment-related deaths, indicating the need for careful monitoring during therapy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab plus pemetrexed-carboplatin combination in first-line treatment of advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer: a multicenter real-life study (CAP29). Renaud, E., Ricordel, C., Corre, R., et al.[2023]

In a study of 123 patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC, the combination of pembrolizumab and pemetrexed-carboplatin (PC) significantly improved the objective response rate (56.7% vs. 30.2% with PC alone) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared to PC alone, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.53.

The updated analysis showed a favorable overall survival (OS) hazard ratio of 0.56 for the pembrolizumab plus PC group, indicating a significant survival benefit, although 41% of patients experienced grade 3 to 5 treatment-related adverse events.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

24-Month Overall Survival from KEYNOTE-021 Cohort G: Pemetrexed and Carboplatin with or without Pembrolizumab as First-Line Therapy for Advanced Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Borghaei, H., Langer, CJ., Gadgeel, S., et al.[2022]

Pembrolizumab, when combined with carboplatin and pemetrexed, significantly improves overall and progression-free survival rates in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), demonstrating its efficacy as a treatment option.

This case report highlights a unique instance of immune-mediated sarcoidosis developing in a patient with NSCLC after receiving pembrolizumab, indicating potential immune-related side effects of this therapy that require further investigation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pulmonary Sarcoidosis Activation following Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab plus Chemotherapy Combination Therapy in a Patient with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report. Fakhri, G., Akel, R., Salem, Z., et al.[2022]

In a study of 29 non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with pemetrexed, 21% developed acute kidney injury (AKI) despite having an initial eGFR above the recommended threshold of 45 mL/min, indicating potential renal toxicity even in patients considered safe for treatment.

Patients with a baseline eGFR below 60 mL/min were more likely to experience AKI, suggesting that careful monitoring and management of renal function and risk factors are essential when administering pemetrexed.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pemetrexed induced acute kidney injury in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: reversible and chronic renal damage. Rombolà, G., Vaira, F., Trezzi, M., et al.[2021]

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]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9989798/

Pembrolizumab plus pemetrexed-carboplatin combination ... This real-life study aimed to assess efficacy and safety of carboplatin-pemetrexed plus pembrolizumab in advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

2. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02578680

NCT02578680 | Study of Pemetrexed+Platinum ... This is an efficacy and safety study of pembrolizumab (MK-3475) combined with pemetrexed/platinum chemotherapy versus pemetrexed/platinum chemotherapy alone

3. ascopubs.org ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.22.01989

5-Year Outcomes From the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-189 Study After 5 years, pembrolizumab plus pemetrexed-platinum was associated with improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival compared ...

4. merck.com merck.com/news/five-year-data-for-mercks-keytruda-pembrolizumab-plus-chemotherapy-showed-sustained-survival-benefit-versus-chemotherapy-alone-in-two-studies-for-metastatic-non-small-cell-lung-cancer-nsclc/

Five-Year Data for Merck's KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab ... Five-year overall survival rate of 19.4% and 18.4% for KEYTRUDA plus chemotherapy in KEYNOTE-189 and KEYNOTE-407, respectively.

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

Pembrolizumab plus Chemotherapy in Metastatic Non– ... In this phase 3 trial, we found that adding pembrolizumab to standard chemotherapy with pemetrexed and a platinum-based drug resulted in a risk ...

6. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36895931/

a multicenter real-life study (CAP29) This real-life study aimed to assess efficacy and safety of carboplatin-pemetrexed plus pembrolizumab in advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

7. merck.com merck.com/news/mercks-keytruda-pembrolizumab-plus-pemetrexed-and-carboplatin-pem-carbo-demonstrated-continued-benefit-in-overall-response-rates-and-progression-free-survival-compared-to-pem-carbo/

Merck's KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus Pemetrexed ... “Lung cancer is one of the most common and devastating cancers, and these additional data confirm that KEYTRUDA in combination with pemetrexed and carboplatin ...

8. ascopubs.org ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2020.38.5_suppl.50

Real-world safety of pemetrexed, carboplatin, and ... However, the safety data with this combination has not been evaluated in a real-world setting with large number of patients with non-squamous ...