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RecruitingNCT06901817Updated Mar 30, 2025

A Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Pemetrexed Combined with Nivolumab Via Intraventricular Injection for the Treatment of Refractory Non-squamous Non-small Cell Lung Cancer with Leptomeningeal Metastases

A Phase 2 interventional study of Intraventricular Pemetrexed and Intraventricular Nivolumab in Leptomeningeal Metastasis, sponsored by Shanghai Cancer Hospital, China. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-03-30.

Sponsored by Shanghai Cancer Hospital, China · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Mar 2025; still recruiting 1 year 7 months later.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
97
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the intraventricular injection of Pemetrexed and Nivolumab works to treat refractory non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer with leptomeningeal metastases. The main questions to answer are:

  • Is the combination of Pemetrexed and Nivolumab safe to inject?
  • How effective is the combination in disease control?

Participants will:

  • Intrathecal injection of 30 mg pemetrexed via Ommaya reservoir, once every 4 weeks until disease progression;
  • Intrathecal injection of 40 mg nivolumab via Ommaya reservoir, once every 4 weeks until disease progression;
  • Before each intrathecal administration, a preliminary intrathecal injection of dexamethasone, 5 mg/2 mL, is given.
02

Conditions studied

  • Leptomeningeal Metastasis
03

In context

Neoplasm Metastasis

3,517 studies on the registry are indexed under Neoplasm Metastasis; 885 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 97 is above the median of 54 across 2,767 interventional studies indexed under Neoplasm Metastasis.

Browse Neoplasm Metastasis studies →

Lead sponsor

Shanghai Cancer Hospital, China is the lead sponsor of 13 studies on the registry; 3 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
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients who sign the informed consent form and are willing to complete the study according to the protocol;
  • Patients must have radiographic and/or cerebrospinal fluid cytology evidence of leptomeningeal disease (LMD). The diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer must be confirmed, based on histological and/or cytological diagnosis.
  • Patients must have an ECOG performance status score of ≤ 2.
  • Patients may use steroids to control symptoms related to the central nervous system, but the dose must be ≤ 4 mg of dexamethasone (or equivalent dose) within 24 hours. The patient's neurological symptoms should remain stable for at least 7 days, or they are reducing the dose of steroids. Physiological replacement doses for adrenal insufficiency are allowed.
  • Patients who have received brain and/or spinal radiotherapy, including whole-brain radiation, stereotactic radiosurgery, or SBRT, can be enrolled, but must have completed radiation therapy at least 7 days before starting treatment.
  • Patients who have received approved systemic treatments may continue the systemic treatment chosen by the researcher. Concurrent use of other drugs for intrathecal treatment is not allowed. For patients who have received other systemic treatments, the minimum washout periods are as follows:

    1. Patients who have received intrathecal treatment must have had their last treatment at least 7 days before starting the study treatment.
    2. Patients who have received systemic chemotherapy must have had their last treatment at least 14 days before starting the study treatment.
    3. Patients who have received approved systemic immunotherapy (such as anti-PD-1, anti-CTLA4) must have had their last treatment at least 2 weeks before starting the study treatment.
    4. Patients who have received any other investigational drugs must have had their last treatment at least 14 days before starting the study treatment.
  • Age ≥ 18 years.
  • Able to provide written informed consent, including compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the consent form.
  • Patients must have the organ and bone marrow function defined in Table 1 below.
  • No contraindications to the installation of an Ommaya reservoir.
  • Criteria for refractory leptomeningeal metastasis:

    1. Failed first- or second-generation TKI treatment, T790M mutation-negative;
    2. Failed third-generation TKI treatment;
    3. EGFR gene mutation-negative, failed first-line treatment.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who require a VP shunt due to increased intracranial pressure.
  • Patients must not have active autoimmune diseases requiring systemic treatment in the past two years (i.e., using disease-modifying agents, corticosteroids, or immunosuppressive drugs). Alternative therapies (such as thyroxine, insulin, or physiological corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency) are not considered forms of systemic treatment.
  • Subjects who need systemic treatment within 14 days prior to administration of the study drug, including the use of corticosteroids (>4 mg daily dexamethasone equivalent dose) or other immunosuppressive drugs. Inhaled or topical steroids and adrenal replacement therapy at a daily replacement dose >10 mg prednisone equivalent are allowed in the absence of active autoimmune diseases.
  • Patients who have previously received PD-1 and/or anti-CTLA-4 therapy are eligible, unless they are experiencing > grade 2 side effects from such treatments. Ongoing physiological replacement doses for adrenal and thyroid insufficiency are allowed in the protocol.
  • Patients currently receiving experimental anti-cancer drugs (co-treatment with approved targeted therapies is permitted).
  • Patients with a history of other malignancies are eligible if they have appropriately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or other cancers with no evidence of disease for more than 5 years.
  • Participation in another clinical trial within 30 days prior to randomization, receiving investigational drugs and any concomitant treatments containing investigational drugs.
  • Immunodeficiency, HIV infection;
  • Severe dysfunction of the heart, lungs, liver, or kidneys;
  • Uncontrolled infection or active infection;
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
97 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Intraventricular Pemetrexed combined with Nivolumab

    Patients with leptomeningeal metastases from refractory non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer will receive Pemetrexed and Nivolumab vis Ommaya reservoir.

    Drug: Intraventricular Pemetrexed · Drug: Intraventricular Nivolumab · Drug: Intraventricular Dexamethasone

Interventions

  • DrugIntraventricular Pemetrexed

    Intraventricular injection of 30 mg pemetrexed via Ommaya reservoir, once every 4 weeks until disease progression.

  • DrugIntraventricular Nivolumab

    Intraventricular injection of 40 mg nivolumab via Ommaya reservoir, once every 4 weeks until disease progression.

  • DrugIntraventricular Dexamethasone

    Intraventricular injection of 5mg/2ml pemetrexed via Ommaya reservoir before injection of pemetrexed and nivolumab.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Adverse Event

    Per CTCAE version 4.0

    Time frame: 30 days

Secondary outcomes

  1. objective response rate (ORR)

    LM objective response rate (ORR) is defined as the proportion of patients with at least one objective response in LM, using a combined approach taking into account radiographic, neurologic and cytologic assessments based on RANO-LM.

    Time frame: 1 year

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
    Shanghai, Shanghai 200032, China
    Recruiting
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 Mar 30, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06901817
Lead sponsor
Shanghai Cancer Hospital, China
Responsible party
Fan Min (Vice president of Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Cancer Hospital, China) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 30, 2025
Start date
Mar 1, 2025
Primary completion
Nov 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 30, 2025

Study contacts

Min Fan, M.D.
Contact
fanming@fudan.edu.cn
8618121299483
Jiayan Chen, M.D.
Contact
chenjiayan@fudan.edu.cn

Oversight

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

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