A Phase 2 interventional study of Avelumab and Best Supportive Care in Penile Cancer, Advanced Cancer and Metastatic Cancer, sponsored by University Health Network, Toronto. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Canada. Open to male participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-06.
Sponsored by University Health Network, Toronto · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
This is a phase 2 study whose purpose is see how useful investigational drug, avelumab, is in patients with locally advanced or metastatic penile cancer who are unfit for or progressed on platinum-based chemotherapy.
The usefulness of avelumab in this study population will be determined by anti-tumor activity assessed by objective response rate.
Avelumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to a protein called programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and blocks its communication with another protein called programmed death protein 1 (PD-1). The communication of these proteins are thought to be important in the growth of tumors. Blocking these proteins from communicating may stop or shrink tumors.
99 studies on the registry are indexed under Penile Neoplasms; 28 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 25 is below the median of 37 across 81 interventional studies indexed under Penile Neoplasms.
Browse Penile Neoplasms studies →University Health Network, Toronto is the lead sponsor of 1,438 studies on the registry; 297 are open to participants now.
Of its 17 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 3 (18%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).
Your pathology report is the document that shows this.
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.
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.
Versions of RECIST adapted to particular cases. iRECIST is for immunotherapy, where a tumour can look bigger for a while before it shrinks, so growth has to be confirmed on a later scan. mRECIST usually means the version for liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), which measures only the part of a tumour that still has a blood supply.
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Histologically or cytologically confirmed
The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).
Your pathology report is the document that shows this.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
iRECIST and mRECIST
Versions of RECIST adapted to particular cases. iRECIST is for immunotherapy, where a tumour can look bigger for a while before it shrinks, so growth has to be confirmed on a later scan. mRECIST usually means the version for liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), which measures only the part of a tumour that still has a blood supply.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Metastases
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Avelumab will be given intravenously (by vein) at a dose of 10 mg/kg, once every 2 weeks Best supportive care will be provided as required.
Drug: Avelumab · Other: Best Supportive Care
Avelumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody (mAb) of the immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 isotype. Avelumab selectively binds to programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and competitively blocks its interaction with programmed death protein 1 (PD-1).
As required.
Objective Response Rate
To demonstrate the anti-tumor activity of avelumab by objective response rate (ORR) according to Immune-related Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (iRECIST) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic penile carcinoma unfit for platinum-based chemotherapy or progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Progression-free Survival Rate
Assess the progression free survival (PFS) of avelumab in patients determined to have PD-L1-positive tumors (including infiltrating immune cells) by the GMP verified Dako PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx test with thresholds of \<1%, 1-49%, and ≥ 50% to define PD-L1 positivity, and in all enrolled patients
Time frame: 3 years
Overall Survival Rate
Assess the overall survival (OS) of avelumab in patients determined to have PD-L1-positive tumors (including infiltrating immune cells) by the GMP verified Dako PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx test with thresholds of \<1%, 1-49%, and ≥ 50% to define PD-L1 positivity, and in all enrolled patients
Time frame: 3 years
Started Aug 2018 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2026, 100 months after the start.
Of 28 phase 2 interventional studies under Penile Neoplasms, half reached primary completion within 63 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 35. This study's planned 100 months is above that.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Jul 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Avelumab
University Health Network, Toronto →