CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT04262089PAMUpdated Dec 5, 2023

Neo-adjuvant Pembrolizumab in dMMR/ POLE-EDM Uterine Cancer Patients: a Feasibility Study

A Phase 1 interventional study of Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in Uterine Cancer, sponsored by University Medical Center Groningen. Completed at 1 site in Netherlands. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-12-05.

Sponsored by University Medical Center Groningen · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was Apr 2023, 3 years 5 months ago, and no results have been posted to the registry.
Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
10
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

In this feasibility study the investigators intend to treat patients with high mutational uterine cancer with two cycles immune checkpoint inhibition before standard-of-care hysterectomy.

Read the detailed description

Objective:

The investigators aim to establish proof-of-concept for use of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) as novel neo-adjuvant therapy in (deficient mismatch repair) dMMR and (Polymerase ε mutation)POLE-EDM uterine cancer (UC). When ICB proves to be feasible as defined in the primary endpoint, a follow-up with a larger multicenter studies to determine clinical efficacy, such as postponing standard-of-care surgery or randomized studies to standard-of-care.

Study design:

The investigators planned a window-of-opportunity study of ICB in primary dMMR UC (n=10) and primary POLE-EDM UC (n=10) patients. ICB (pembrolizumab; anti-PD1) will be administered in two cycles of 3 weeks between diagnosis and standard-of-care hysterectomy.

Tumor responses to pembrolizumab will be assessed 3 weeks after the second cycle of pembrolizumab by a pathologist (primary endpoint) and MRI (secondary endpoint).After treatment with immun checkpoint blockade a hysterectomy will take place (standard-of care). Peripheral blood and tumor samples will be used to evaluate immune responses.

Study population:

Primary dMMR/ POLE-EDM UC patients of any stage and/or grade who are intended to be treated with a hysterectomy recruited from the North-Netherlands oncological region.

Intervention: Pembrolizumab, 200mg IV Q3W for a total of 2 administrations per patient, integrated into standard-of-care protocol prior to surgery. Based on the well-established time lines, the interval between diagnosis and standard of care hysterectomy is sufficient to treat patients with two cycles of pembrolizumab without interfering with standard of care.

Main study endpoints:

The primary endpoint is the response rate of the tumor assessed by pathology in uterine cancer patients treated with neo-adjuvant pembrolizumab. The secondary endpoint is the objective response rate of the tumor by MRI using RECIST. Exploratory objectives are immunogenicity, safety and the value of a pipelle biopsy as a predictor for response.

02

Conditions studied

  • Uterine Cancer

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • Uterine cancer
  • dMMR
  • POLE-EDM
  • neo-adjuvant
  • pembrolizumab
03

In context

Uterine Neoplasms

255 studies on the registry are indexed under Uterine Neoplasms; 64 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 10 is below the median of 49 across 181 interventional studies indexed under Uterine Neoplasms.

Browse Uterine Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

University Medical Center Groningen is the lead sponsor of 609 studies on the registry; 174 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Female participants who are at least 18 years of age on the day of signing informed consent with histologically confirmed primary diagnosis of dMMR/POLE-EDM uterine cancer who are intended to be treated with hysterectomy will be enrolled in this study.
  • Have measurable disease based on RECIST 1.1 on MRI.
  • A female participant is eligible to participate if she is not pregnant, not breastfeeding, is not a woman of childbearing potential (WOCBP) or agrees to follow the contraceptive guidance in section 5.2 during the treatment period and at least until standard-of-care hysterectomy.
  • The participant (or legally acceptable representative if applicable) provides written informed consent for the trial

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • A WOCBP who has a positive urine pregnancy test within 72 hours prior to allocation. If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required.
  • Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti PD L2 agent or with an agent directed to another stimulatory or co-inhibitory T-cell receptor (eg, CTLA-4, OX 40, CD137).
  • Has received prior systemic anti-cancer therapy including investigational agents within 4 weeks [could consider shorter interval for kinase inhibitors or other short half-life drugs] prior to allocation.

Note: Participants must have recovered from all AEs due to previous therapies to ≤Grade 1 or baseline. Participants with ≤Grade 2 neuropathy may be eligible.

Note: If participant received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting study treatment.

  • Has received prior radiotherapy within 2 weeks of start of study treatment. Participants must have recovered from all radiation-related toxicities, not require corticosteroids, and not have had radiation pneumonitis. A 1-week washout is permitted for palliative radiation (≤2 weeks of radiotherapy) to non-CNS disease.
  • Has received a live vaccine within 30 days prior to the first dose of study drug. Examples of live vaccines include, but are not limited to, the following: measles, mumps, rubella, varicella/zoster (chicken pox), yellow fever, rabies, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), and typhoid vaccine. Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally killed virus vaccines and are allowed; however, intranasal influenza vaccines (eg, FluMist®) are live attenuated vaccines and are not allowed.
  • Is currently participating in or has participated in a study of an investigational agent or has used an investigational device within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study treatment.

Note: Participants who have entered the follow-up phase of an investigational study may participate as long as it has been 4 weeks after the last dose of the previous investigational agent.

  • Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving chronic systemic steroid therapy (in dosing exceeding 10 mg daily of prednisone equivalent) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of study drug.
  • Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or has required active treatment within the past 3 years. Note: Participants with basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or carcinoma in situ (e.g. breast carcinoma, cervical cancer in situ) that have undergone potentially curative therapy are not excluded.
  • Has known active CNS metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. Participants with previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they are radiologically stable, i.e. without evidence of progression for at least 4 weeks by repeat imaging (note that the repeat imaging should be performed during study screening), clinically stable and without requirement of steroid treatment for at least 14 days prior to first dose of study treatment.
  • Has severe hypersensitivity (≥Grade 3) to pembrolizumab and/or any of its excipients.
  • Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years (i.e. with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs). Replacement therapy (eg., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment.
  • Has a history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or has current pneumonitis.
  • Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy.
  • Has a known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Note: No HIV testing is required unless mandated by local health authority.
  • Has a known history of Hepatitis B (defined as Hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or known active Hepatitis C virus (defined as HCV RNA [qualitative] is detected) infection. Note: no testing for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C is required unless mandated by local health authority.
  • Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the study, interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the study, 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 within the projected duration of the study, starting with the screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
10 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    primary dMMR uterine cancer patients

    primary dMMR uterine cancer patients

    Drug: Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)

  • Experimental
    primary POLE-EDM uterine cancer patients

    primary POLE-EDM uterine cancer patients

    Drug: Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)

Interventions

  • DrugPembrolizumab (Keytruda)

    Pembrolizumab (Keytruda), 200mg IV Q3W for a total of 2 administrations per patient, integrated into standard-of-care protocol prior to surgery. Based on the well-established time lines, the interval between diagnosis and standard of care hysterectomy is sufficient to treat patients with two cycles of pembrolizumab without interfering with standard of care.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. The primary objective is to characterize pathologic responses (necrosis/viable tumor cells) in uterine cancer patients treated with neo-adjuvant pembrolizumab

    Hematoxylin and eosin staining on endometrium tissue collected during standard-of-care hysterectomy will be assessed by an experienced pathologist for evidence of necrosis and/or viable tumor cells

    Time frame: Tumor tissue is collected during standard of care hysterectomy (up to 6-10 weeks after baseline)

  2. The primary objective is to characterize pathologic responses (Degree of immune infiltration) in uterine cancer patients treated with neo-adjuvant pembrolizumab

    Hematoxylin and eosin staining on endometrium tissue collected during standard-of-care hysterectomy will be assessed by an experienced pathologist for degree of immune infiltration.

    Time frame: Tumor tissue is collected during standard of care hysterectomy (week 6-10 after baseline)

  3. The primary objective is to characterize pathologic responses (Degrees of inflammation, fibrosis, and mucin) in uterine cancer patients treated with neo-adjuvant pembrolizumab

    Hematoxylin and eosin staining on endometrium tissue collected during standard-of-care hysterectomy will be assessed by an experienced pathologist for degrees of inflammation, fibrosis, and mucin, consistent with an ongoing immune response.

    Time frame: Tumor tissue is collected during standard of care hysterectomy (week 6-10 after baseline)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Radiologic response

    To assess the objective response rate of the tumor by MRI using RECIST1.1 in uterine cancer patients treated with 2 cycles neo-adjuvant pembrolizumab

    Time frame: MRI is scheduled before start study drug (week 1) and after final study drug ( 6-10 weeks after baseline)

Other outcomes

  1. Systemic immune response using an IFN-y-ELISPOT to screen for the presence of antigen-specific T-cell responses to mutation associated neo antigens

    Collection of PBMC (60mL blood by vena puncture) before, during and after treatment to assess antigen specific T cell responses to mutation-associated neo-antigens

    Time frame: At 6 timepoints through the study up to 32 weeks.

  2. Safety (adverse events)

    Adverse events will be documented according CTCAE.

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 32 weeks.

  3. Feasibility (surgical delays due to study treatment)

    The number of treatment-related surgical postponements will be counted to assess feasibility.

    Time frame: Up to planned hysterectomy (6-10 weeks after baseline)

  4. Predictive value of pipelle biopsy

    In order to assess the correlation of pathological response seen in the biopsy and the surgical specimen. A pipelle biopsy will be obtained during surgery and assess as the tumor specimen from hysterectomy in the primary endpoint.

    Time frame: An additional pipelle biopsy is obtained before start of the hysterectomy (6-10 weeks after baseline).

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen
    Groningen, 9713 GZ, Netherlands
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 5, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04262089
Lead sponsor
University Medical Center Groningen
Collaborators
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Responsible party
Hans W. Nijman, MD PHD (Principal Investigator, University Medical Center Groningen) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 10, 2020
Start date
Nov 1, 2020
Primary completion
Apr 17, 2023
Completion
Nov 1, 2023
Last update
Dec 5, 2023

Study contacts

Hans W Nijman, Prof. Dr.
principal investigator · University Medical Center Groningen, UMCG
An KL Reyners, Prof. Dr.
principal investigator · University Medical Center Groningen, UMCG

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 completed, as verified in Dec 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

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.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion