A Phase 2 interventional study of pembrolizumab and doxorubicin in Hodgkin Lymphoma, sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC. Active, not recruiting at 93 sites in 16 countries. Open to participants aged 3 Years to 25 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-04.
Sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC (part of Merck & Co., Inc) · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
This study will examine the safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in combination with chemotherapy in children and young adults with newly diagnosed classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) who are slow early responders (SERs) to frontline chemotherapy.
Group 1 will consist of low-risk participants with cHL Stages IA, IB and IIA without bulky disease. Group 2 will consist of high-risk participants with cHL Stages IIEB, IIIEA, IIIEB, IIIB, IVA and IVB.
1,383 studies on the registry are indexed under Hodgkin Disease; 163 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 340 is above the median of 40 across 1,095 interventional studies indexed under Hodgkin Disease.
Browse Hodgkin Disease studies →Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC is the lead sponsor of 2,166 studies on the registry; 132 are open to participants now.
Of its 501 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 370 (74%) 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.
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.
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.
A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.
Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.
Stem cell (bone marrow) transplants. Allogeneic uses cells from a donor; autologous uses your own cells, collected earlier and given back.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
The other ingredients in a medicine besides the active drug, such as fillers, colours or preservatives.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Karnofsky performance status (KPS)
A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.
Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Allogeneic and autologous transplant
Stem cell (bone marrow) transplants. Allogeneic uses cells from a donor; autologous uses your own cells, collected earlier and given back.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hypersensitivity
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Excipients
The other ingredients in a medicine besides the active drug, such as fillers, colours or preservatives.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
After receiving two 4-week cycles of ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) induction therapy, SER participants in Group 1 will receive pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg up to a maximum of 200 mg (3 to 17 years of age) or 200 mg (18 to 25 years of age) on Day 1 of each 3-week cycle (Q3W) in combination with two cycles of AVD chemotherapy (doxorubicin 25 mg/m\^2, vinblastine 6 mg/m\^2 and dacarbazine 375 mg/m\^2 on Days 1 and 15; cycle frequency every 4 weeks \[Q4W\]). All SERs in Group 1 will receive radiotherapy (RT) after completing AVD chemotherapy.
Biological: pembrolizumab · Drug: doxorubicin · Drug: vinblastine · Drug: dacarbazine · Drug: bleomycin · Radiation: Radiotherapy (RT)
After receiving two 4-week cycles of OEPA (vincristine, etoposide/etopophos, prednisone/prednisolone and doxorubicin) induction therapy, SER participants in Group 2 will receive pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg up to a maximum of 200 mg (3 to 17 years of age) or 200 mg (18 to 25 years of age) Q3W, in combination with 4 cycles of COPDAC-28 chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m\^2 on Days 1 and 8, vincristine 1.5 mg/m\^2 with maximum single dose 2 mg on Days 1 and 8, prednisone/prednisolone 40 mg/m\^2/day divided in 3 doses on Days 1 to 15, dacarbazine 250 mg/m\^2 on Days 1 to 3; cycle frequency Q4W). SERs in Group 2 will receive RT if they have a positive Positron Emission Tomography (PET) response after completing COPDAC-28 chemotherapy.
Biological: pembrolizumab · Drug: doxorubicin · Drug: dacarbazine · Drug: cyclophosphamide · Drug: vincristine · Drug: prednisone/prednisolone · Drug: etoposide · Radiation: Radiotherapy (RT)
2 mg/kg intravenous (IV) up to a max of 200 mg (3 to 17 years of age) or 200 mg IV (18 to 25 years of age); cycle frequency Q3W
Also known as: MK-3475
25 mg/m\^2 IV on Days 1 and 15 as part of ABVD induction therapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 1) 40 mg/m\^2 IV on Days 1 and 15 as part of OEPA induction therapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 2) 25 mg/m\^2 IV on Days 1 and 15 as part of AVD chemotherapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 1)
6 mg/m\^2 IV on Days 1 and 15 as part of ABVD induction therapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 1) 6 mg/m\^2 IV on Days 1 and 15 as part of AVD chemotherapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 1)
375 mg/m\^2 IV on Days 1 and 15 as part of ABVD induction therapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 1) 375 mg/m\^2 IV on Days 1 and 15 as part of AVD chemotherapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 1) 250 mg/m\^2 IV on Days 1 to 3 as part of COPDAC-28 chemotherapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 2)
500 mg/m\^2 IV on days 1 and 8 as part of COPDAC-28 chemotherapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 2)
1.5 mg/m\^2 IV with maximum single dose 2 mg on Days 1, 8, and 15 as part of OEPA induction therapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 2) 1.5 mg/m\^2 IV with maximum single dose 2 mg on Days 1 and 8 as part of COPDAC-28 chemotherapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 2)
Drug pages: Prednisone · Prednisolone
60 mg/m\^2/day orally divided in 3 doses on Days 1 to 15 as part of OEPA induction therapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 2) 40 mg/m\^2/day orally divided in 3 doses on Days 1 to 15 as part of COPDAC-28 chemotherapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 2)
10 units/m\^2 IV on Days 1 and 15 as part of ABVD induction therapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 1)
125 mg/m\^2 IV on Days 1 to 5 as part of OEPA induction therapy (cycle frequency: Q4W, Group 2)
Also known as: Etoposide Phosphate
RT administered daily, dose dependent on randomization group and disease response.
Objective Response Rate (ORR) in SER Participants By Risk Group (Low, High) as Assessed by Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR)
ORR is defined as the percentage of SER participants who have a Complete Response (\[CR\], disappearance of all evidence of disease) or Partial Response (\[PR\], regression of measurable disease and no new sites) using IWG revised response criteria and determined by BICR. The ORR will be estimated by risk group in SER participants.
Time frame: Up to approximately 8 years
Rate of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan Negativity in SER Participants By Risk Group (Low, High) After AVD or COPDAC-28 Chemotherapy
The rate of PET negativity for SER participants is the percentage of participants with PET negativity (defined as Deauville score 1, 2 or 3) after two cycles of AVD (Group 1) or four cycles of COPDAC-28 (Group 2), in combination with pembrolizumab. The Deauville 5-point scoring system is an internationally accepted and utilized five-point scoring system for the Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) avidity of a Hodgkin's lymphoma or Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma tumor mass as seen on FDG PET scan: Score 1= No uptake above the background, Score 2= Uptake ≤ mediastinum, Score 3= Uptake \> mediastinum but ≤ liver, Score 4= Uptake moderately increased compared to the liver at any site, Score 5= Uptake markedly increased compared to the liver at any site or new lesions, Score X= New areas of uptake unlikely to be related to lymphoma. In the present study, scores of 1, 2 and 3 are considered to be negative and scores of 4 and 5 are considered to be positive.
Time frame: Up to approximately 8 years
Event-Free Survival (EFS) in SER Participants By Risk Group (Low, High) as Assessed by BICR
EFS is defined as the time from first dose to the first documented disease progression or recurrence, or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first. Progression/disease recurrence will be determined by BICR using IWG criteria.
Time frame: Up to approximately 2 years
Overall Survival (OS) in SER Participants By Risk Group (Low, High)
OS is defined as the time from first dose to death due to any cause. Participants without documented death will be censored at the date of the last follow-up.
Time frame: Up to approximately 2 years
Exposure to Radiotherapy (RT) in SER Participants By Risk Group (Low, High)
The frequency of RT received by eligible participants (positive PET response, i.e. Deauville score of 4 or 5) will be reported.
Time frame: Up to approximately 8 years
Rate of PET Scan Negativity In Group 1 Participants After ABVD Induction Therapy
The rate of PET negativity for Group 1 participants is the percentage of participants with PET negativity (defined as Deauville score 1, 2 or 3) after two cycles of ABVD induction as per investigator assessment. The Deauville 5-point scoring system is an internationally accepted and utilized five-point scoring system for the FDG avidity of a Hodgkin's lymphoma or Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma tumor mass as seen on FDG PET scan: Score 1= No uptake above the background, Score 2= Uptake ≤ mediastinum, Score 3= Uptake \> mediastinum but ≤ liver, Score 4= Uptake moderately increased compared to the liver at any site, Score 5= Uptake markedly increased compared to the liver at any site or new lesions, Score X= New areas of uptake unlikely to be related to lymphoma. In the present study, scores of 1, 2 and 3 are considered to be negative and scores of 4 and 5 are considered to be positive.
Time frame: Up to approximately 8 years
EFS in Rapid Early Responder (RER) Participants By Risk Group (Low, High) as Assessed by Investigator
EFS is defined as the time from first dose to the first documented disease progression or recurrence, or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first. Progression/disease recurrence will be determined by the investigator.
Time frame: Up to approximately 3 years
OS in RER Participants By Risk Group (Low, High)
OS is defined as the time from first dose to death due to any cause. Participants without documented death will be censored at the date of the last follow-up.
Time frame: Up to approximately 3 years
Number of SER Participants Experiencing an Adverse Event (AE) By Risk Group (Low, High)
An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a participant that is temporally associated with the use of study treatment, whether or not considered related to the study treatment. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign (including an abnormal laboratory finding), symptom, or disease (new or exacerbated) temporally associated with the use of a study treatment. The number of SER participants who experience an AE will be reported for each arm.
Time frame: Up to approximately 8 years
Number of SER Participants Discontinuing Study Treatment Due to AEs By Risk Group (Low, High)
An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a participant that is temporally associated with the use of study treatment, whether or not considered related to the study treatment. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign (including an abnormal laboratory finding), symptom, or disease (new or exacerbated) temporally associated with the use of a study treatment. The number of SER participants who discontinue study treatment due to an AE will be reported for each arm.
Time frame: Up to approximately 8 years
Plan to share: Yes — https://trialstransparency.msdclinicaltrials.com/pdf/ProcedureAccessClinicalTrialData.pdf
Data sharing details ↗ · externaldatasharing-msd.com
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Studies of the drug tested here: Pembrolizumab