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RecruitingNCT07404332Updated May 28, 2026

5-Azacitidine Plus PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitor With PD-1/PD-L1 Refractory Tumors

A Phase 1 interventional study of 5 Azacytidine and Pembrolizumab in Solid Tumor, Locally Advanced Solid Tumor and Metastatic Tumor, sponsored by Mohammed Milhem. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 99 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-28.

Sponsored by Mohammed Milhem · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
35
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 99 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

This is a Phase I study to determine the optimal biological dose (OBD) of 5-Azacitidine in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in patients with tumors refractory to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, for which such treatments have been approved.

Read the detailed description

This is a Phase I study to determine the optimal biological dose (OBD) of 5-Azacitidine in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in patients with tumors refractory to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, for which such treatments have been approved.

This Phase I study will assess 6 doses of 5-Azacitidine (5, 10, 15, 25, 50 and 75 mg/m2) in combination with a PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor. The PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor will be given at standard of care dosing approved by the FDA for this indication.

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Conditions studied

  • Solid Tumor
  • Locally Advanced Solid Tumor
  • Metastatic Tumor

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 99 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Written and voluntary informed consent.
  • At least 18 years of age or older.
  • Histologically and radiologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic unresectable solid tumor malignancy for which PD-1 or PD-L1 therapy is already approved by the FDA. Locally advanced is defined as unresectable in the opinion of the treating physician. A repeat biopsy is required if previous biopsy tissue is unavailable.
  • At least one Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1) - defined target lesion.
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 (fully active, able to carry on all pre-disease performance without restriction), 1 (restricted in physically strenuous activity but ambulatory and able to carry out work of a light or sedentary nature, such as light housework or office work), or 2 (ambulatory and capable of self-care but unable to carry out any work activities, spending more than 50% of waking hours up and about).
  • Documented progression on PD1 or PD-L1 inhibitors.
  • Recovery from any acute toxicity associated with prior therapy to grade 1.
  • Renal function (creatinine level within normal institutional limit, or creatinine clearance >15 mL/min/1.73 m2 for patients with creatinine levels above institutional normal, calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula).
  • Liver function (AST/ALT \<3.0 X institutional upper limit of normal OR \<5 X institutional upper limit of normal in cases of liver metastasis; total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal).
  • Adequate hematological lab values including:

    • Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) ≥ 1.0 X 109/L
    • Platelets ≥ 100X109/L
    • Hemoglobin ≥ 7.0 g/dL
  • Female subjects of childbearing potential and non-sterilized male subjects who intend to be sexually active during the study must agree to use a highly effective method of contraception from time of screening, throughout the whole duration of the drug treatment, and during the 6-month post-treatment washout period.
  • Patients may have previously received a hypomethylating agent, as long as it was not given in combination with ipilimumab.
  • Patients may have previously received ipilimumab but must have relapsed or progressed while on therapy.
  • Patients must have adequate archival tissue available for the purpose of downstream methylation status assessment, immunohistochemistry, RNA expression (10 slides at 5µM). If archival tissue is not available, a repeat biopsy is required.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with a prior or concurrent malignancy whose natural history or treatment has the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the investigational regimen.
  • Patients with active, untreated metastases in the central nervous system.
  • Patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Patients who have an active infection.
  • Patients with significant hematologic, hepatic, and renal function impairment.
  • Patients who are being treated for any concurrent medical condition requiring the use of systemic steroids or history of long-term use of systemic steroids.
  • Patients who have a history of inflammatory bowel disease or a history of symptomatic autoimmune disease.
  • Patients who have had any major surgical procedure or significant traumatic injury within 28 days prior to study enrollment.
  • Patients who have received chemotherapy, immunosuppressive agents or any investigational drug within 28 days prior to starting the study drugs.
  • Patients who have any underlying medical condition which, in the treating physician's opinion, will make the administration of study drugs hazardous or obscure the interpretation of adverse events.
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Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
35 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    5-Azacitidine Plus PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor

    This Phase I study will assess 6 doses of 5-Azacitidine (5, 10, 15, 25, 50 and 75 mg/m2) in combination with a PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor. The PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor will be given at standard of care dosing approved by the FDA for this indication. Inhibitors approved for study indications include Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab, and Cemiplimab.

    Drug: 5 Azacytidine · Drug: Pembrolizumab · Drug: Nivolumab · Drug: Cemiplimab

Interventions

  • Drug5 Azacytidine

    5-Azacitidine (Azacitidine) is a nucleoside analogue chemotherapy drug

  • DrugPembrolizumab

    Pembrolizumab is a high-affinity humanized monoclonal antibody that functions as immune checkpoint inhibitor

  • DrugNivolumab

    Nivolumab is a high-affinity humanized monoclonal antibody that functions as immune checkpoint inhibitor

  • DrugCemiplimab

    Cemiplimab is a high-affinity humanized monoclonal antibody that functions as immune checkpoint inhibitor

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Incidence of dose-limiting toxicities and responses as defined by CTCAE v5.0

    Assess the safety and tolerability of 5-Azacitidine Plus PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor

    Time frame: Treatment initiation through 30 days +/- 7 days post completion of therapy

Secondary outcomes

  1. Proportion of participants with a complete response (CR)

    The proportion of patients with a pathologic complete response, defined as disappearance of all target lesions, disappearance of all non-target lesions and normalization of tumor marker level

    Time frame: Treatment initiation through five years

  2. Proportion of participants with a partial response (PR)

    At least a 30% decrease in the sum of the LD of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum LD

    Time frame: Treatment initiation through five years

  3. Overall Survival (OS)

    Time from study treatment initiation to death due to any cause

    Time frame: Treatment initiation through five years

  4. Progression Free Survival (PFS)

    Time from study treatment initiation to disease progression or death due to any cause

    Time frame: Treatment initiation through five years

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Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • University of Iowa Health Care
    Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
    Recruiting
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References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07404332
Lead sponsor
Mohammed Milhem
Responsible party
Mohammed Milhem (Clinical Professor, University of Iowa) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Feb 11, 2026
Start date
Feb 11, 2026
Primary completion
Feb 28, 2028 (estimated)
Completion
Feb 28, 2031 (estimated)
Last update
May 28, 2026

Study contacts

Mohammed Milhem, MD
Contact
mohammed-milhem@uiowa.edu
+1 319 356 2324
Mohammed Milhem, MD
principal investigator · University of Iowa

Oversight

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

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