ClinicalTrials.gg
TerminatedNCT03260504Updated Dec 8, 2025Results posted

Aldesleukin and Pembrolizumab in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Kidney Cancer

A Phase 1 interventional study of Aldesleukin and Pembrolizumab in Advanced Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Stage III Renal Cell Cancer and Stage IV Renal Cell Cancer, sponsored by University of Washington. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-08.

Sponsored by University of Washington · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was terminated
Insufficient funding

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Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
6
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-14

Among 23 studies testing aldesleukin in Carcinoma, Renal Cell — 3 open to participants now, 3 under way, none of them phase 3. aldesleukin · Carcinoma, Renal Cell.

Enrollment
18th of 20
6 · median 23
Started
2018
the only one that year
Phase 1
4 of 23
none open now
Registered
20th of 23
by date

Among the 23 studies testing aldesleukin in Carcinoma, Renal Cell, this one is the 18th largest by enrollment of the 20 interventional ones that give a count, is the only one that started in 2018, is one of 4 in phase 1, and was the 20th registered.

Carcinoma, Renal Cell

2,038 studies on the registry are indexed under Carcinoma, Renal Cell; 395 are open to participants now.

Browse Carcinoma, Renal Cell studies →

Open to participants now

3 of the 23 studies testing aldesleukin in Carcinoma, Renal Cell are open now, in 1 country. Recruiting first, the newest first:

By country, each count listing its studies:

All 3 open studies →

Where they have run

About aldesleukin

aldesleukin: first FDA approval 1992 (PROLEUKIN). What it is approved for, and how studies give it, is on its page →

Who these studies take

Of the 307 Carcinoma, Renal Cell studies recruiting now, 254 (83%) set no upper age limit and 18 (6%) stop at 75 or younger; 20 take children under 18; 19 take healthy volunteers.

This study: 18 Years and older · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.

The full table on the hub →

This tab as a report to print or save as PDF → With an account.

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Watch this landscapeDownload CSVNarrow it in search →With an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 23 studies testing aldesleukin in Carcinoma, Renal Cell, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of aldesleukin when given together with pembrolizumab in treating patients with kidney cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Aldesleukin may stimulate white blood cells to kill kidney cancer cells. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to avoid recognition by immune cells. Giving aldesleukin and pembrolizumab may work better in treating patients with kidney cancer.

Read the detailed description

OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study of aldesleukin.

Patients receive pembrolizumab intravenously (IV) over 30 minutes on day 1. Patients also receive aldesleukin subcutaneously (SC) 5 days per week for 6 weeks; or aldesleukin IV on days 2-6 of pembrolizumab cycles 1 and 2. Pembrolizumab treatment repeats every 3 weeks for 4 cycles per treatment course in the absence of clinical disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up via surveillance scans for every 3 months for up to 1 year or until disease progression.

03

Conditions studied

  • Advanced Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
  • Stage III Renal Cell Cancer
  • Stage IV Renal Cell Cancer
  • Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Be willing and able to provide written for the trial
  • Be >= 18 years of age on day of signing informed consent
  • Have histologic confirmation of RCC with a clear cell component
  • Have advanced (not amenable to potentially curative surgery) or RCC
  • May have received previous systemic treatments or regimens for metastatic RCC. Prior therapy can include checkpoint blocking antibodies targeting , PD-L1, or cytotoxic Tlymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and/or targeted agents including TKIs, mTOR inhibitors, or bevacizumab. Patients may choose to receive study treatment as their initial therapy
  • Previously treated patients must have documented disease progression after their last
  • Have based on (RECIST) 1.1
  • Available tissue from an sample or newly obtained core or excisional biopsy of a tumor lesion
  • Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the (ECOG) performance scale
  • (ANC) >= 1,500 /mcL (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • >= 100,000/mcL (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • >= 9 g/dL or >= 5.6 mmol/L (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • Serum creatinine =\< 1.5 X (ULN) OR measured or calculated ( [GFR] can also be used in place of creatinine or CrCl) >= 40 mL/min for subject with creatinine levels > 1.5 X institutional ULN; creatinine clearance should be calculated by Cockcroft-Gault (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • Serum total =\< 1.5 X ULN OR direct bilirubin =\< ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels > 1.5 ULN (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT]) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase [SGPT]) =\< 2.5 X ULN OR =\< 5 X ULN for subjects with liver metastases (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • (INR) or prothrombin time (PT) =\< 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or partial thromboplastin time (PTT) is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants (dose level 2 and 3 patients only) (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) =\< 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants (dose level 2 and 3 patients only) (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) >= 65% of predicted (Testing performed prior to study screening are allowable. Pre-treatment testing must have been completed within 6 months of start of treatment) (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • (LVEF) >= 50% measured by multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan, echo, or stress test study with myocardial perfusion imaging (Testing performed prior to study screening are allowable. Pre-treatment testing must have been completed within 6 months of start of treatment) (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • Normal/negative cardiac stress testing with myocardial perfusion imaging OR cardiac catheterization with non-significant angiogram findings reviewed by a cardiology consultant (Testing performed prior to study screening are allowable. Pre-treatment testing must have been completed within 6 months of start of treatment) (within 14 days of treatment initiation)
  • Female subject of should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test within 72 hours prior to receiving the first dose of study medication; if the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required
  • Female subjects of childbearing potential should be willing to use 2 methods of or be surgically sterile, or abstain from heterosexual activity for the course of the study through 140 days after the last dose of study medication; subjects of childbearing potential are those who have not been surgically sterilized or have not been free from menses for > 1 year
  • Male subjects should agree to use an adequate method of contraception starting with the first dose of study therapy through 200 days after the last dose of study therapy

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Has received prior therapy with IL-2 or other systemic cytokine therapy signaling through a common gamma-chain cytokine receptor including IL-7, IL-15 or IL-21
  • Is currently participating in or has participated in a study of an investigational agent or using an investigational device within 4 weeks of the first dose of treatment
  • Has had a prior monoclonal antibody within 4 weeks prior to study day I. Has had prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 2 weeks prior to study day 1
  • Adverse events due to prior treatment must be resolved to \< grade 1

    * Note: If subject received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting therapy

  • For patients previously treated with checkpoint blocking antibodies, no history of myocarditis, pneumonitis or nephritis of any grade associated with the prior treatment
  • Has had toxicity associated with prior checkpoint blocking antibodies requiring more than one drug class of immune suppressive therapy to resolve (e.g. - toxicity requiring infliximab, mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus or other immune suppressive agent) or requiring continuous immune suppression > 12 weeks, or having a severity judged to be life threatening by the investigator
  • Has a known additional that is progressing or requires active treatment; exceptions include locally curable cancers such as basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, superficial bladder cancer, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix or breast that has undergone potentially curative therapy
  • Has known active central nervous system (CNS) and/or carcinomatous meningitis

    • (Dose level 1) subjects with previously treated may participate provided they are stable (without evidence of progression by imaging for at least four weeks prior to the first dose of trial treatment and any neurologic symptoms have returned to baseline), have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases, and are not using steroids for at least 7 days prior to trial treatment
    • (Dose Level 2 and 3) subjects may not have any history of or current CNS metastases; baseline imaging of the brain is required within 28 days prior to the start of study treatments
  • Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment
  • Has an active autoimmune disease requiring systemic treatment within the past 3 months or a documented history of clinically severe autoimmune disease, or a syndrome that requires systemic steroids or immunosuppressive agents; subjects with vitiligo or resolved childhood asthma/atopy would be an exception to this rule; subjects that require intermittent use of bronchodilators or local steroid injections would not be excluded from the study; subjects with hypothyroidism stable on hormone replacement or Sjorgen's syndrome will not be excluded from the study
  • Has history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or active, non-infectious pneumonitis
  • Ongoing symptomatic cardiac dysrhythmias, uncontrolled atrial fibrillation, or prolongation of the interval defined as > 450 msec for males and > 470 msec for female
  • History of any of the following cardiovascular conditions within 6 months of enrollment: cardiac angioplasty or stenting, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, class III or IV congestive heart failure as defined by the , symptomatic peripheral vascular disease, cerebrovascular accident, or
  • Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy
  • Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the trial, or is not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator
  • Has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial
  • Is pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment
  • Has a known history of (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies)
  • Has known active (e.g., hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or (e.g., hepatitis C virus [HCV] ribonucleic acid [RNA] [qualitative] is detected)
  • Has received a within 30 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment; administration of killed vaccines are allowed; Note: Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally inactivated flu vaccines and are allowed
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(35)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Metastases

Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.

PD-1, PD-L1 and checkpoint inhibitors

PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4 are proteins that act as brakes on the immune system. Checkpoint inhibitors, such as pembrolizumab or nivolumab, block them so the immune system can attack a cancer.

PD-L1 can also be measured in a tumour sample. Some scores count stained tumour cells only (TPS); others also count certain immune cells (CPS). The study names the score and the minimum it uses.

Line of therapy

A line of therapy is one course of treatment, which may combine several drugs. First-line is the first course given; second-line follows when that stops working or is not tolerated.

“Two prior lines” means two courses that count separately under the study’s rules — not simply two drugs. Ask the study team if you are unsure how yours are counted.

Measurable disease

The amount of disease can be tracked with a defined measurement, so the study can see whether it shrinks or grows. It might be a tumour measured on a scan or, in some blood cancers such as myeloma, a marker measured in blood or urine.

The criteria or the study team say which measurement counts — having no tumour visible on a scan does not by itself rule you out.

RECIST

The standard rules for measuring tumours on CT or MRI scans, to tell whether a cancer is shrinking, stable or growing during treatment.

“Measurable disease per RECIST 1.1” usually means at least one tumour 10 mm or more at its longest on a CT scan, or a lymph node 15 mm or more across its short axis.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

ECOG performance status

A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.

0
Fully active, no restrictions.
1
Limited in strenuous activity, but walking and able to do light work, such as housework or office work.
2
Walking and able to look after yourself, but unable to work; up and about more than half of waking hours.
3
Able to look after yourself only in part; in bed or a chair more than half of waking hours.
4
Unable to look after yourself at all; in bed or a chair all day.

Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.

Absolute neutrophil count (ANC)

The number of neutrophils, white blood cells that help fight infection, in a given amount of blood. Too few raises the risk of infection.

It is a count, not a percentage of the white cells. Limits are written in units that mean the same: ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L is ≥ 1,500 per mm³ (µL). Each lab has its own reference range.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

Creatinine clearance (CrCl)

How quickly the kidneys clear creatinine, a waste product, from the blood. A study may estimate it from a blood test with age, weight and sex (often by the Cockcroft–Gault formula), or measure it using blood and urine collected over a set time. Given in mL/min; higher is better.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

Bilirubin

A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.

Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)

Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.

Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.

FEV1

From a breathing test (spirometry): how much air you can blow out in the first second. Often given as a percentage of what is expected for your age, height and sex.

LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction)

The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Relapsed and refractory

Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

Brain metastases

Cancer deposits in the brain from a cancer that started elsewhere in the body (CNS metastases include the spinal cord).

Studies differ: some leave out any brain metastases, some accept ones treated and stable for some weeks. Check what this study allows.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

QT and QTc

On an ECG, the QT interval is the time the heart’s lower chambers take to activate electrically and recover in each beat. QTc is that time adjusted for heart rate (QTcF by Fridericia’s formula, QTcB by Bazett’s). Some medicines lengthen it, and a long QTc can raise the risk of a dangerous heart rhythm.

The study may name a correction formula and a limit in milliseconds, often around 450–480.

NYHA class (heart failure)

The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.

I
No limits: ordinary activity causes no undue tiredness or breathlessness.
II
Slight limits: comfortable at rest, ordinary activity causes symptoms.
III
Marked limits: comfortable at rest, less than ordinary activity causes symptoms.
IV
Symptoms even at rest; any activity makes them worse.

Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.

TIA (transient ischaemic attack)

A “mini-stroke”: temporary stroke-like symptoms caused by reduced blood flow to part of the brain, spinal cord or eye, without signs of a new stroke on a scan.

Stroke symptoms need emergency care at once, even if they go away.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

Live vaccines

Vaccines made with a weakened form of the germ, such as measles–mumps–rubella (MMR), chickenpox and yellow fever. They can be risky when the immune system is weakened. Flu injections are not live; the nasal flu spray is.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
6 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Treatment (pembrolizumab, aldesleukin)

    Patients receive pembrolizumab intravenously (IV) over 30 minutes on day 1. Patients also receive aldesleukin subcutaneously (SC) 5 days per week for 6 weeks; or aldesleukin IV on days 2-6 of pembrolizumab cycles 1 and 2. Pembrolizumab treatment repeats every 3 weeks for 4 cycles per treatment course in the absence of clinical disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

    Biological: Aldesleukin · Biological: Pembrolizumab

Interventions

  • BiologicalAldesleukin

    Given SC or IV

    Also known as: 125-L-Serine-2-133-interleukin 2, Proleukin, r-serHuIL-2, Recombinant Human IL-2, Recombinant Human Interleukin-2

  • BiologicalPembrolizumab

    Given IV

    Also known as: Keytruda, Lambrolizumab, MK-3475, SCH 900475, Immunoglobulin G4, Anti-(Human Programmed Cell Death 1)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Adverse Events

    The safety analysis was based on subjects who experienced toxicities as defined by CTCAE v5.0 criteria. Safety was assessed by quantifying the toxicities and laboratory abnormalities by grades experienced, including any serious adverse events (SAEs). Only treatment-related adverse events with an incidence rate of at least 2.5% are reported.

    Time frame: Adverse events were recorded from the time the consent form was signed through 30 days following the cessation of the study treatment for each participant. Each treatment course was 12 weeks and the maximum duration of treatment was 3 courses (36 weeks).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants With Objective Response

    Tumor imaging post-treatment compared to baseline imaging (MRI preferred or contrast CT); assessed by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1. Best overall response rate (ORR) includes complete responders (CR): disappearance of all target lesions; and partial response (PR): at least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters.

    Time frame: Tumor imaging was collected at baseline after consent was obtained, every 12 weeks at end of a treatment course (max. 3 courses), and every 12 weeks after the cessation of study treatment for up to 1 year of surveillance follow-up for each participant.

  2. Number of Participants With Objective Response or Stable Disease

    Tumor imaging post-treatment compared to baseline imaging (MRI preferred or contrast CT); assessed by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1. Disease control rate includes CR; PR; stable disease: neither sufficient shrinkage to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to qualify for progressive disease (at least 20% in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study), taking as reference the smallest sum diameters while on study.

    Time frame: Tumor imaging was collected at baseline after consent was obtained, every 12 weeks at end of a treatment course (max. 3 courses), and every 12 weeks after the cessation of study treatment for up to 1 year of surveillance follow-up for each participant.

  3. Progression Free Survival (PFS)

    Progression free survival is defined from the time when the consent form was signed to when progressive disease was determined at tumor imaging assessment per protocol defined schedule or when death was reported.

    Time frame: Tumor imaging was collected at baseline after consent was obtained, every 12 weeks at end of a treatment course (max. 3 courses), and every 12 weeks after the cessation of study treatment for up to 1 year of surveillance follow-up for each participant.

07

Results

Posted Dec 8, 2025
Limitations and caveats
Study enrollment was hampered by changes in frontline treatment options for advanced/metastatic RCC. There was a significant decrease of IL-2 therapy use at our cancer center starting in 2018 which coincided with the FDA approval of ICI-based regimens of nivolumab plus ipilimumab (2018), and pembrolizumab plus axitinib (2019). Study enrollment was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as our hospital prioritized efforts to inpatient care for patients with COVID-19 versus elective use of IL-2.

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestonePeriod 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)
Started33
Completed32
Not completed01
Withdrew: Adverse event01

Outcome measures

PrimaryNumber of Adverse Events

The safety analysis was based on subjects who experienced toxicities as defined by CTCAE v5.0 criteria. Safety was assessed by quantifying the toxicities and laboratory abnormalities by grades experienced, including any serious adverse events (SAEs). Only treatment-related adverse events with an incidence rate of at least 2.5% are reported.

Time frame:
Adverse events were recorded from the time the consent form was signed through 30 days following the cessation of the study treatment for each participant. Each treatment course was 12 weeks and the maximum duration of treatment was 3 courses (36 weeks).
Reported as:
Number · Adverse Events (CTCAE v5.0)
Number of Adverse Events
Adverse Events (CTCAE v5.0)Period 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)
Number of Adverse Events31
SecondaryNumber of Participants With Objective Response

Tumor imaging post-treatment compared to baseline imaging (MRI preferred or contrast CT); assessed by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1. Best overall response rate (ORR) includes complete responders (CR): disappearance of all target lesions; and partial response (PR): at least a 30% decrease in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters.

Time frame:
Tumor imaging was collected at baseline after consent was obtained, every 12 weeks at end of a treatment course (max. 3 courses), and every 12 weeks after the cessation of study treatment for up to 1 year of surveillance follow-up for each participant.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With Objective Response
ParticipantsPeriod 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)
Number of Participants With Objective Response00
SecondaryNumber of Participants With Objective Response or Stable Disease

Tumor imaging post-treatment compared to baseline imaging (MRI preferred or contrast CT); assessed by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1. Disease control rate includes CR; PR; stable disease: neither sufficient shrinkage to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to qualify for progressive disease (at least 20% in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study), taking as reference the smallest sum diameters while on study.

Time frame:
Tumor imaging was collected at baseline after consent was obtained, every 12 weeks at end of a treatment course (max. 3 courses), and every 12 weeks after the cessation of study treatment for up to 1 year of surveillance follow-up for each participant.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With Objective Response or Stable Disease
ParticipantsPeriod 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)
Number of Participants With Objective Response or Stable Disease21
SecondaryProgression Free Survival (PFS)

Progression free survival is defined from the time when the consent form was signed to when progressive disease was determined at tumor imaging assessment per protocol defined schedule or when death was reported.

Time frame:
Tumor imaging was collected at baseline after consent was obtained, every 12 weeks at end of a treatment course (max. 3 courses), and every 12 weeks after the cessation of study treatment for up to 1 year of surveillance follow-up for each participant.
Reported as:
Median · Months
Progression Free Survival (PFS)
MonthsPeriod 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)
Progression Free Survival (PFS)5.27 (2.33 to 5.40)2.67 (0.50 to 5.20)

Adverse events

Collected over Adverse events were recorded from the time the consent form was signed through 30 days following the cessation of the study treatment for each participant. The maximum duration of treatment courses was 36 weeks. All-cause mortality was recorded from the time the consent form was signed for up to 1 year of surveillance following the end of study treatment for each participant.. Non-serious events are listed at a 2.5% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Period 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)0/3 (0%)0/3 (0%)3/3 (100%)
Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)1/3 (33.3%)1/3 (33.3%)3/3 (100%)
Most frequent serious events
Most frequent serious events
EventPeriod 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)
MyocarditisCardiac disorders0/31/3
Myocardial InfarctionCardiac disorders0/31/3
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventPeriod 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)
Generalized edemaGeneral disorders3/33/3
ChillsGeneral disorders3/33/3
HypotensionVascular disorders1/33/3
NauseaGastrointestinal disorders3/33/3
Creatinine increasedInvestigations2/33/3
PruritusSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders3/33/3
FeverGeneral disorders3/31/3
Dry skinSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders2/31/3
Lymphocyte count decreasedInvestigations0/32/3
HeadacheNervous system disorders2/31/3

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(Year)Period 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)Total
Median58 (57 to 67)59 (45 to 66)58 (45 to 67)
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Period 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)Total
Female101
Male235
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Period 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)Total
Hispanic or Latino000
Not Hispanic or Latino336
Unknown or Not Reported000
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Period 1: Dose Level 1 (Pembrolizumab + SQ IL-2)Period 2: Dose Level 2 (Pembrolizumab + Low-Dose IV Bolus IL-2)Total
American Indian or Alaska Native000
Asian000
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander000
Black or African American000
White336
More than one race000
Unknown or Not Reported000
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium
    Seattle, Washington 98109, United States
09

References and documents

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

10

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from Aug 2018 to primary completion in Jul 2022, 46 months.

Results were first posted in Dec 2025, 3 years 4 months after primary completion.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Aug 21, 2017
First posted
Aug 24, 2017
StartActual
Aug 28, 2018
Primary completionActual
Jul 26, 2022
CompletionActual
Jul 26, 2022
Results first posted
Dec 8, 2025
Last update
Dec 8, 2025
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 8, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03260504
Collaborators
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Prometheus Laboratories
Responsible party
Scott Tykodi, MD, PhD (Associate Professor, University of Washington) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 24, 2017
Start date
Aug 28, 2018
Primary completion
Jul 26, 2022
Completion
Jul 26, 2022
Results posted
Dec 8, 2025
Last update
Dec 8, 2025

Study contacts

Scott S. Tykodi
principal investigator · Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is terminated, as verified in Nov 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

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Studies of the drug tested here: Aldesleukin

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