A Phase 2 interventional study of Arterial Embolization and Pembrolizumab in Metastatic Malignant Neoplasm in the Liver and Neuroendocrine Neoplasm, sponsored by Nicholas Fidelman, MD. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-28.
Sponsored by Nicholas Fidelman, MD · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
This pilot phase II trial studies how effective pembrolizumab and liver-directed therapy or peptide receptor radionuclide therapy are at treating patients with well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors and symptomatic and/or progressive tumors that have spread to the liver (liver metastases). 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 grow and spread. Liver-directed therapies such as radiofrequency ablation, transarterial embolization, yttrium-90 microsphere radioembolization, and cryoablation may help activate the immune system in order to shrink tumors that are not being directly targeted. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy is a form of targeted treatment that is performed by the use of a small molecule, which carries a radioactive component attached to a peptide. Once injected into the body, this small molecule binds to some specific sites on tumor cells called receptors and emit medium energy radiation that can destroy cells. Because this radionuclide is attached to the peptide, which binds receptors on tumor lesions, the radiation can preferably be targeted to the tumor cells in order to destroy them. Giving pembrolizumab in combination with liver-directed therapy or peptide receptor radionuclide therapy may work better than pembrolizumab alone.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To evaluate safety profile of pembrolizumab in combination with Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT), transarterial embolization, and radioembolization.
II. To evaluate the best observed overall response rate (ORR) in lesion(s) not targeted for liver-directed therapy (abscopal effect) to pembrolizumab plus liver-directed therapy according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 for patients with metastatic well-differentiated (WD) neuroendocrine tumors (NET)s (WD-NETs).
III. To evaluate the best observed ORR to pembrolizumab plus peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) according to RECIST 1.1 for patients with metastatic grade 2 and 3 WD-NET (Ki-67 > 10%).
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To evaluate duration of response (DOR) in patients receiving pembrolizumab in combination with liver-directed therapies or PRRT.
II. To evaluate progression free survival (PFS) in subjects treated with pembrolizumab in combination with liver-directed therapies or PRRT.
III. Best observed radiographic ORR per modified RECIST (mRECIST) in lesions targeted for liver-directed therapy.
IV. Duration of response in lesions targeted for liver-directed therapy by mRECIST.
EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:
I. To compare ORR, DOR, and PFS based on immune-related (ir)RECIST with the same measures assessed by RECIST 1.1.
II. To correlate clinical outcomes (ORR, DOR, PFS) with baseline immune cell infiltration and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) staining in cycle 1 and cycle 5 tumor biopsies.
III. To assess the level of PD-L1 expression in tumor tissue prior to liver-directed therapy (prior to PRRT) and 5 weeks following liver-directed therapy (following PRRT).
IV. To assess T cell infiltration on the pre-177Lu-DOTATATE (pre-PRRT) and on the on-treatment tumor tissue biopsies.
V. To assess baseline circulating T cell receptor (TCR) repertories and changes in TCR repertories with treatment, and correlate baseline and turnover of repertories to clinical outcomes.
VI. To analyze the relationship between baseline tumor proliferative index (as measured by Ki67) and response to therapy.
OUTLINE: Patients originally assigned to 1 of 3 groups. As of 09/15/2022, Groups 2 and 3 are closed to enrollment.
GROUP I (PRRT): Patients receive pembrolizumab intravenously (IV) over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 35 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. PRRT using 177Lu-DOTATATE(Lutathera®) will be offered to patients with somatostatin receptor positive (SSTR+) tumors with Ki-67 index > 20% (well-differentiated grade 3). Patients may have any number of liver and/or extrahepatic lesions with liver parenchyma replacement by tumor \< 75%. 200±20 millicurie (mCi) of 177Lu-DOTATATE will be administered intravenously per treatment on outpatient basis. Patients will receive a total of four treatments of 177Lu-DOTATATE, administered every 8±1 weeks. Patients with partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD) by RECIST v. 1.1 after cycle 4 of pembrolizumab who were treated with PRRT (group 1) would continue to receive systemic IV administrations of 177Lu-DOTATATE every 8 +/-1 weeks for up to four (4) treatments. After completion of four (4) PRRT treatments, pembrolizumab may be administered alone for up to 35 cycles
CLOSED - GROUP II (TRANSARTERIAL EMBOLIZATION (TAE)): Patients receive pembrolizumab as in Group I. Patients with any number of liver lesions, largest being no larger than 5 cm, who have \< 75% liver parenchyma replacement by tumors, undergo TAE over 2-3 hours, 3-7 days following the first dose of pembrolizumab.
CLOSED - GROUP III (RADIOEMBOLIZATION (RE)): Patients receive pembrolizumab as in Group I. Patients with any number of liver lesions, largest measuring more than 5 cm, who have \< 75% liver parenchyma replacement by tumors, undergo yttrium-90 microsphere RE 3-15 days following the first dose of pembrolizumab.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 30 days and then every 3-6 months thereafter.
Subject Inclusion Criteria
Have a histologically proven well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (WHO grade 1, grade 2, or morphologically and/or clinically well-differentiated grade 3) of any primary site, including unknown primary site.
a. For group 1, only well-differentiated grade 2 or 3 tumors with Ki-67 index > 10% that demonstrate somatostatin receptor expression on DOTA or In-111 Octreoscans will be allowed.
Radiographic, biochemical, or clinical evidence of tumor progression over a period of up to 12 months in at least one site.
Demonstrate adequate organ function.
Subject Exclusion Criteria
Has had prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 2 weeks prior to study Day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., \<=Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to a previously administered agent.
Patients will be treated with pembrolizumab and intravenous peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) using 177Lu-DOTA0-Tyr3-Octreotate (177Lu-DOTATATE, Lutathera®) for up to four (4) sessions. Patients with somatostatin receptor positive (SSTR+) tumors with Ki-67 index \> 20% (well-differentiated grade 3) and any number of liver and/or extrahepatic lesions with liver parenchyma replacement by tumor \< 75%. Patients who achieve progressive or stable disease response after cycle 4 may receive an additional 4 cycles of pembrolizumab and lutetium Lu-177 DOTATATE in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity and pembrolizumab for up to 35 cycles.
Biological: Pembrolizumab · Biological: Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) using 177Lu-DOTA0-Tyr3-Octreotate
Patients receive pembrolizumab as in Group I. Patients with any number of liver lesions, largest being no larger than 5 cm, who have \< 75% liver parenchyma replacement by tumors, undergo Arterial Embolization (TAE) over 2-3 hours, 3-7 days following the first dose of pembrolizumab.
Procedure: Arterial Embolization · Biological: Pembrolizumab
Patients receive pembrolizumab as in Group I. Patients with any number of liver lesions, largest measuring more than 5 cm, who have \< 75% liver parenchyma replacement by tumors, undergo yttrium-90 microsphere Radio Embolization (RE) 3-15 days following the first dose of pembrolizumab.
Biological: Pembrolizumab · Device: Yttrium-90 Microsphere Radioembolization
Undergo TAE
Also known as: TAE, Transarterial Embolization
Given IV
Also known as: Keytruda, Lambrolizumab, MK-3475, SCH 900475
Given IV
Also known as: Lutathera, 177Lu-DOTATATE
Undergo yttrium-90 microsphere RE
Also known as: Yttrium Y 90 Microsphere Therapy, Yttrium-90 Radioembolization, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE
Proportion of Participants With an Overall Response
The All Subjects as Treated (ASaT, ITT) population will be used for the analysis of ORR. The primary efficacy endpoint will be best observed Overall Response Rate (ORR) by RECIST 1.1 (investigator reported). ORR is defined as the proportion of the subjects in the analysis population who have a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR). The proportion of participants with a response and 90% confidence interval of overall response rate will be obtained for each of the three groups separately.
Time frame: Up to 25 months
Number of Participants With Treatment-related Adverse Events by Maximum Grade (Group 1)
Adverse events occurring from the start of the treatment regimen until 30 days after the end of treatment will be summarized by number of participants reporting under maximum toxicity grade for participants enrolled in Group 1. All treatment-related adverse events will be graded using NCI CTCAE v5.0.
Time frame: Up to 30 days after the end of treatment, approximately 26 months
Median Duration of Response (DOR)
Kaplan-Meier method will be used to summarize DOR for participants with a documented complete response or partial response per RECIST v.1.1 criteria. . Median DOR and its 95% confidence interval will be obtained for each of the three liver-directed therapies and PRRT groups separately.
Time frame: Up to 3 years
Number of Participants With Treatment-related Adverse Events by Maximum Grade (Groups 2 & 3)
Adverse events occurring from the start of the treatment regimen until 30 days after the end of treatment will be summarized by number of participants reporting under the maximum toxicity grade for participants enrolled in Groups 2 and 3. All treatment-related adverse events will be graded using NCI CTCAE v5.0.
Time frame: Up to 30 days after the end of treatment, approximately 26 months
Median Progression Free Survival (PFS)
Progression free survival is defined as the time from the first day of study treatment with protocol therapy to the date of documented tumor progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first, as determined by RECIST v1.1. Kaplan-Meier methods will be used to estimate PFS with 95% confidence interval for each group separately.
Time frame: Up to 3 years
Immune-related Progression Free Survival (irPFS)
Immune-related progression free survival is defined as the time from the first day of study treatment with protocol therapy to the date of documented tumor progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first, as determined by immune-related-RECIST (irRC). Kaplan-Meier methods will be used to estimate irPFS with 95% confidence interval for each group separately.
Time frame: Up to 3 years
| Milestone | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Started | 26 | 3 | 3 |
| Completed | 26 | 3 | 3 |
| Not completed | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The All Subjects as Treated (ASaT, ITT) population will be used for the analysis of ORR. The primary efficacy endpoint will be best observed Overall Response Rate (ORR) by RECIST 1.1 (investigator reported). ORR is defined as the proportion of the subjects in the analysis population who have a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR). The proportion of participants with a response and 90% confidence interval of overall response rate will be obtained for each of the three groups separately.
| proportion of participants | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proportion of Participants With an Overall Response | 0.35 (0.20 to 0.52) | 0 (0 to 0.63) | 0 (0 to 0.63) |
Adverse events occurring from the start of the treatment regimen until 30 days after the end of treatment will be summarized by number of participants reporting under maximum toxicity grade for participants enrolled in Group 1. All treatment-related adverse events will be graded using NCI CTCAE v5.0.
| Participants | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] |
|---|---|
| Grade 4 Hyponatremia | 3 |
| Grade 3 Anemia | 1 |
| Grade 3 Colitis | 1 |
| Grade 3 Hyperglycemia | 2 |
| Grade 3 Hypokalemia | 1 |
| Grade 3 Lymphocyte count decreased | 2 |
| Grade 3 Neutrophil count decreased | 2 |
| Grade 3 Platelet count decreased | 1 |
| Grade 3 Small intestinal obstruction | 1 |
| Grade 3 White blood cell decreased | 1 |
| Grade 2 Abdominal Pain | 2 |
| Grade 2 Acidosis | 1 |
| Grae 2 Adrenal insufficiency | 1 |
| Grade 2 Alanine aminotransferase increased | 1 |
| Grade 2 Anorexia | 1 |
| Grade 2 Anxiety | 1 |
| Grade 2 Arthralgia | 1 |
| Grade 2 Blurred vision | 1 |
| Grade 2 Creatinine increased | 1 |
| Grade 2 Dysgeusia | 1 |
| Grade 2 Fatigue | 1 |
| Grade 2 Nausea | 3 |
| Grade 2 Hypothyroidsim | 4 |
| Grade 2 Rash maculo-papular | 1 |
| Grade 2 Vomiting | 3 |
| Grade 1 Alopecia | 3 |
| Grade 1 Aspartate aminotransferase increased | 3 |
| Grade 1 Back Pain | 1 |
| Grade 1 Blood bilirubin increased | 1 |
| Grade 1 Bone Pain | 1 |
| Grade 1 Bruising | 1 |
| Grade 1 Diarrhea | 4 |
| Grade 1 Dry Skin | 1 |
| Grade 1 Edema limbs | 1 |
| Grade 1 Fever | 2 |
| Grade 1 Flu like symptoms | 1 |
| Grade 1 Memory impairment | 1 |
| Grade 1 Muscle weakness lower limb | 1 |
| Grade 1 Muscle weakness trunk | 1 |
| Grade 1 Myalgia | 1 |
| Grade 1 Pruritus | 8 |
| Grade 1 Peripheral sensory neuropathy | 1 |
| Grade 1 Skin hypopigmentation | 1 |
Kaplan-Meier method will be used to summarize DOR for participants with a documented complete response or partial response per RECIST v.1.1 criteria. . Median DOR and its 95% confidence interval will be obtained for each of the three liver-directed therapies and PRRT groups separately.
| months | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Duration of Response (DOR) | 9.6 (2.7 to 18.9) | — | — |
Adverse events occurring from the start of the treatment regimen until 30 days after the end of treatment will be summarized by number of participants reporting under the maximum toxicity grade for participants enrolled in Groups 2 and 3. All treatment-related adverse events will be graded using NCI CTCAE v5.0.
| Participants | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 2-Abdominal Pain | 0 | 1 |
| Grade 2-Alanine aminotransferase increased | 1 | 0 |
| Grade 2-Alkaline phosphatase increased | 0 | 1 |
| Grade 1-Anemia | 1 | 0 |
| Grade 2-Anorexia | 0 | 2 |
| Grade 3-Aspartate aminotransferase increased | 1 | 0 |
| Grade 2-Bloating | 0 | 1 |
| Grade 2-Blood bilirubin increased | 0 | 1 |
| Grade 1 Brusing | 1 | 0 |
| Grade 2-Dyspnea | 0 | 1 |
| Grade 3-Fatigue | 0 | 2 |
| Grade 1-Fever | 1 | 1 |
| Grade 1-Hyperthyroidism | 0 | 1 |
| Grade 1-Hyponatremia | 1 | 0 |
| Grade 2 Hypothyroidism | 1 | 1 |
| Grade 1-INR Increased | 0 | 1 |
| Grade 1-Myalgia | 1 | 0 |
| Grade 1-Nausea | 1 | 2 |
| Grade 2-Pain | 1 | 0 |
| Grade 1-Platelet count decreased | 2 | 0 |
| Grade 3-Pneumonitis | 1 | 0 |
| Grade 1-Vomiting | 0 | 1 |
Progression free survival is defined as the time from the first day of study treatment with protocol therapy to the date of documented tumor progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first, as determined by RECIST v1.1. Kaplan-Meier methods will be used to estimate PFS with 95% confidence interval for each group separately.
| months | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Progression Free Survival (PFS) | 13.3 (8.4 to 18.4) | 8 (NA to NA) | 2 (NA to NA) |
Immune-related progression free survival is defined as the time from the first day of study treatment with protocol therapy to the date of documented tumor progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first, as determined by immune-related-RECIST (irRC). Kaplan-Meier methods will be used to estimate irPFS with 95% confidence interval for each group separately.
| months | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immune-related Progression Free Survival (irPFS) | 13.3 (8.4 to 18.4) | 8 (NA to NA) | 2 (NA to NA) |
Collected over Up to 3 years. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | 4/26 (15.4%) | 14/26 (53.8%) | 26/26 (100%) |
| Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | 0/3 (0%) | 3/3 (100%) | 3/3 (100%) |
| Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] | 0/3 (0%) | 2/3 (66.7%) | 3/3 (100%) |
| Event | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] |
|---|---|---|---|
| FatigueGeneral disorders | 0/26 | 0/3 | 2/3 |
| Abdominal painGastrointestinal disorders | 1/26 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| Alkaline phosphatase increasedInvestigations | 0/26 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase increasedInvestigations | 0/26 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| Bile duct stenosisHepatobiliary disorders | 0/26 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| Blood Bilirubin increasedInvestigations | 0/26 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| ConstipationGastrointestinal disorders | 0/26 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| HypertensionVascular disorders | 0/26 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| Lung infectionInfections and infestations | 1/26 | 0/3 | 1/3 |
| PneumonitisRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders | 0/26 | 1/3 | 0/3 |
| Event | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] |
|---|---|---|---|
| FatigueGeneral disorders | 17/26 | 3/3 | 2/3 |
| Lung infectionInfections and infestations | 0/26 | 0/3 | 3/3 |
| NauseaGastrointestinal disorders | 12/26 | 3/3 | 2/3 |
| Abdominal distensionGastrointestinal disorders | 0/26 | 0/3 | 2/3 |
| Abdominal painGastrointestinal disorders | 11/26 | 2/3 | 1/3 |
| Alanine aminotransferase increasedInvestigations | 6/26 | 2/3 | 1/3 |
| Alkaline phosphatase increasedInvestigations | 1/26 | 2/3 | 1/3 |
| AnemiaBlood and lymphatic system disorders | 5/26 | 2/3 | 0/3 |
| AnorexiaMetabolism and nutrition disorders | 3/26 | 0/3 | 2/3 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase increasedInvestigations | 6/26 | 2/3 | 2/3 |
| Age, Customized(Participants) | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 - 29 years old | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 30 - 39 years old | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 40 - 49 years old | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 50 - 59 years old | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 60 - 69 years old | 6 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 70 -79 years old | 7 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 11 | 2 | 2 | 15 |
| Male | 15 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asian | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black or African American | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| White | 18 | 2 | 1 | 21 |
| More than one race | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 24 | 2 | 3 | 29 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Region of Enrollment(Participants) | Group I [Pembrolizumab, 177Lu DOTATATE] | Group II [Pembrolizumab, TAE] | Group III [Pembrolizumab, Yttrium-90 Microsphere RE] | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 26 | 3 | 3 | 32 |
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Nicholas Fidelman, MD