A Phase 2 interventional study of Avelumab in Thymoma and Thymic Carcinoma, sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI). Active, not recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-28.
Sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI) · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
Background:
Thymoma and thymic carcinoma are cancers originating in the thymus gland. Platinum-based chemotherapy is standard treatment for them. But not uncommonly, the disease returns and people need more treatment to keep the cancer from growing. The drug Avelumab could help the immune system fight cancer.
Objective:
To test if avelumab is safe and well-tolerated, and is effective in treating relapsed or refractory thymoma and thymic carcinoma.
Eligibility:
People ages 18 and older with thymoma or thymic carcinoma that has returned or progressed after platinum-containing chemotherapy
Design:
Participants will be screened with:
Participants will have treatment in 2-week cycles. They will continue until the side effects are not tolerable or their disease gets worse. Visits at the following time points are required per protocol. Patients who respond to treatment or have durable stability after at least 12 months of therapy may undergo a dose de-escalation regimen to continue on therapy.
Background
Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard of care for advanced unresectable thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). However more than half of these patients experience disease recurrence and require second-line therapy. There are no approved drugs for treatment of recurrent thymoma and thymic carcinoma and new therapeutic options are needed for patients who have disease progression on or after platinum-containing therapy. The clinical activity of checkpoint blockade targeting programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) has been demonstrated against various tumor types. We have demonstrated the ability of avelumab to induce major responses in patients with advanced thymoma in a phase I dose escalation study. Further investigation of avelumab in patients with TETs is needed to define the clinical activity and safety of immune checkpoint blockade in patients with TETs.
Primary Objectives
To determine the safety and tolerability of avelumab in participants with relapsed or refractory thymoma and thymic carcinoma.
To determine the objective response rate (ORR) to avelumab in participants with relapsed or refractory thymoma and thymic carcinoma.
Eligibility
Participants with histologically confirmed, unresectable thymoma or thymic carcinoma who have previously been treated with at least one platinum-containing chemotherapy regimen with progressive disease prior to study entry
Prior treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors is permitted if the reason for discontinuation was not disease progression or life-threatening adverse events (laboratory abnormalities alone with prior therapy will not exclude participants from this trial)
Measurable disease by RECIST 1.1 criteria
Adequate renal, hepatic and hematopoietic function
No major surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or biologic therapy within 28 days of avelumab
No prior thymic tumor-associated autoimmune disease with the exception of pure red cell aplasia and vitiligo.
Design
This will be a single-arm, pilot study to determine the clinical activity and safety of treatment with avelumab in participants with relapsed or refractory thymoma and thymic carcinoma.
Avelumab will be administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg intravenously once every two weeks until disease progression or development of intolerable adverse events. The two week period will constitute one cycle.
Per the study team s discretion, participants who respond to treatment or have durable stability after at least 12 months of therapy may undergo a dose de-escalation regimen to continue on therapy.
Toxicity will be assessed every cycle by CTCAE version 5.0.
Tumor response will be assessed after completion of every third cycle (6 weeks) using RECIST criteria, version 1.1.
When possible, a tumor biopsy will be conducted pre-treatment and on C4D43 to evaluate treatment-related, intra-tumoral changes.
Individuals aged greater than or equal to 18 years
-- Because no dosing or adverse event data are currently available on the use of Avelumab in participants \<18 years of age, children are excluded from this study, but will be eligible for future pediatric trials.
Participants must have normal organ and marrow function as defined below:
contraceptive. Effective contraception must be used 30 days prior to first study drug administration, for the duration of trial participation, and at least 30 days after last avelumab treatment administration if the risk of conception exists. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this trial, the treating physician should be informed immediately.)
EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
Concurrent anticancer treatment within 28 days before the start of trial treatment (e.g., cytoreductive therapy, radiotherapy [with the exception of palliative bone directed radiotherapy], immune therapy, or cytokine therapy except for erythropoietin); major surgery within 28 days before the start of trial treatment (excluding prior diagnostic biopsy); concurrent systemic therapy with immunosuppressive agents within 28 days before the start of trial treatment; use of hormonal agents for the treatment of thymic cancer within 7 days before the start of trial treatment; or use of any investigational drug within 28 days before the start of trial treatment.
--Note: Individuals receiving bisphosphonate or denosumab are eligible provided treatment was initiated at least 14 days before the first dose of avelumab.
Active infection requiring systemic therapy or significant acute or chronic infections including, among others:
nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with Avelumab, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with Avelumab.
Avelumab will be administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg intravenously once every two weeks until disease progression or development of intolerable adverse events.
Drug: Avelumab
Avelumab will be administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg intravenously once every two weeks until disease progression or development of intolerable adverse events.
Safety and tolerability of Avelumab based on NCI-CTCAE v4.0
Toxicity profile based on NCI-CTCAE v4.0
Time frame: End of every cycle
Objective Response Rate (ORR) based on RECIST 1.1 criteria
Objective response rate; i.e., the number of participants with complete response + the number with partial response confirmed via RECIST 1.1
Time frame: Every other cycle
Immune-related progression-free survival (irPFS)
Immune-related progression-free survival
Time frame: Date of progression
Overall Survival (OS)
Overall survival
Time frame: Date of death
Duration of Response
Time to progression
Time frame: Date of progression
Plan to share: Yes — All IPD recorded in the medical record will be shared with intramural investigators upon request. In addition, all large scale genomic sequencing data will be shared with subscribers to dbGaP.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Sap, Icf
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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National Cancer Institute (NCI)