An observational study in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CSCC), Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma, sponsored by Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf. Not yet recruiting at 15 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-22.
Sponsored by Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf · Observational
D-TECT is a prospective, multicenter, non-interventional observational study investigating whether pretreatment D-dimer levels predict disease control in patients with locally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma treated with cemiplimab in routine clinical care.
D-dimers are routinely available laboratory markers related to activation of the coagulation system. Previous single-center data suggest that elevated pretreatment D-dimer levels may be associated with poorer disease control under cemiplimab. In D-TECT, a single pretreatment D-dimer value and prospectively collected routine clinical follow-up data will be analyzed to validate this association in a multicenter real-world setting. No study-specific treatment decisions, imaging procedures, or additional blood draws are mandated by the study.
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is one of the most common skin cancers. While most cases can be treated with curative local therapy, a subgroup of patients develops locally advanced or metastatic disease requiring systemic treatment. Cemiplimab, a PD-1 inhibitor, is an established systemic treatment option for advanced cSCC. However, validated routine biomarkers predicting disease control under cemiplimab are lacking.
D-dimers are fibrin degradation products and sensitive markers of coagulation activation. In a prior single-center retrospective analysis, elevated pretreatment D-dimer levels were associated with lower disease control, lower objective response, and shorter progression-free survival in patients with advanced cSCC treated with cemiplimab. D-TECT is designed to prospectively validate this observation in a multicenter real-world cohort.
Eligible patients are adults with histologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic cSCC for whom cemiplimab treatment is planned as part of routine clinical care. A D-dimer measurement is documented within 7 days before the first cemiplimab dose up to the day of first administration before infusion. Subsequent clinical data, including tumor response, progression, survival, treatment discontinuation, and thromboembolic events, are collected from routine medical records during follow-up.
The primary endpoint is disease control within the first 6 months after initiation of cemiplimab. The primary confirmatory analysis compares disease control between patients with high versus low pretreatment D-dimer values using the prespecified cutoff of 0.91 mg/L FEU derived from the prior single-center study. If the primary analysis is statistically significant, the same primary endpoint will be tested hierarchically using the local laboratory-defined upper limit of normal. Additional analyses include objective response rate, progression-free survival, overall survival, thromboembolic events, diagnostic performance measures of the predefined cutoffs, sensitivity analyses, and exploratory analyses addressing inter-site assay heterogeneity.
955 studies on the registry are indexed under Thrombosis; 171 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 116 is below the median of 173 across 384 observational studies indexed under Thrombosis.
Browse Thrombosis studies →Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf is the lead sponsor of 416 studies on the registry; 86 are open to participants now.
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Adult patients with histologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma for whom systemic treatment with cemiplimab is planned as part of routine clinical care at participating oncology/dermato-oncology centers.
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.
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.
Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
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.
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.
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.
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.
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.
ECOG performance status
A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.
Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
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.
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.
NYHA class (heart failure)
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Life expectancy
The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients with locally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma treated with cemiplimab in routine clinical care and a pretreatment D-dimer level above the prespecified cutoff of 0.91 mg/L FEU.
Other: Pretreatment D-dimer status
Patients with locally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma treated with cemiplimab in routine clinical care and a pretreatment D-dimer level at or below the prespecified cutoff of 0.91 mg/L FEU.
Other: Pretreatment D-dimer status
Pretreatment D-dimer status is defined using a single D-dimer measurement obtained in routine clinical laboratory testing within 7 days before the first cemiplimab dose up to the day of first administration before infusion. D-dimer status is not used to assign treatment and does not mandate any study-specific diagnostic or therapeutic intervention.
Disease Control Rate Within the First 6 Months of Cemiplimab Treatment
Disease control rate is defined as the proportion of participants with complete response, partial response, or stable disease according to clinical and/or radiological assessment in routine care within the first 6 months after initiation of cemiplimab. Participants with documented progression, death, or treatment discontinuation due to clinical progression within the first 6 months are considered not to have disease control. Participants without documented progression or death but without evaluable clinical or radiological follow-up assessment within the first 6 months are considered not evaluable for the primary analysis. The primary confirmatory analysis compares disease control between participants with high versus low pretreatment D-dimer levels using the prespecified cutoff of 0.91 mg/L FEU. If statistically significant, the same primary endpoint will be tested hierarchically using the local laboratory-defined upper limit of normal.
Time frame: From start of cemiplimab treatment through 6 months
Objective Response Rate
Objective response rate is defined as the proportion of participants with complete response or partial response according to clinical and/or radiological assessment in routine care during follow-up.
Time frame: From start of cemiplimab treatment through 24 months
Progression-Free Survival
Progression-free survival is defined as the time from initiation of cemiplimab treatment to the first documented disease progression or death from any cause, whichever occurs first.
Time frame: From start of cemiplimab treatment through 24 months
Overall Survival
Overall survival is defined as the time from initiation of cemiplimab treatment to death from any cause.
Time frame: From start of cemiplimab treatment through 24 months
Thromboembolic Events During Follow-up
Incidence of venous or arterial thromboembolic events documented during follow-up and evaluated in relation to pretreatment D-dimer levels.
Time frame: From start of cemiplimab treatment through 24 months
Diagnostic Performance of Prespecified D-dimer Cutoffs for 6-Month Disease Control
Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the prespecified D-dimer cutoff of 0.91 mg/L FEU and of the local laboratory-defined upper limit of normal for disease control within the first 6 months after initiation of cemiplimab.
Time frame: From start of cemiplimab treatment through 6 months
Cumulative Incidence of Documented Disease Progression Accounting for Death as a Competing Event
Exploratory competing-risk analysis of the cumulative incidence of documented disease progression, treating death without prior documented progression as a competing event. Deaths without prior documented progression will additionally be described by cause of death where available from the medical record.
Time frame: From start of cemiplimab treatment through 24 months
Association of Pretreatment D-dimer Levels With Clinical Outcomes in Multivariable Models
Exploratory multivariable models evaluating the association between pretreatment D-dimer levels and clinical outcomes while accounting for predefined clinical covariates such as performance status, lactate dehydrogenase, comorbidities, and anticoagulation.
Time frame: From start of cemiplimab treatment through 24 months
Exploratory Analysis of Assay-Related Heterogeneity in D-dimer Measurements
Exploratory evaluation of inter-site heterogeneity in D-dimer assays, measurement units, and local reference ranges. Analyses may include ULN-normalized D-dimer values defined as the quotient of the measured value and the local upper limit of normal.
Time frame: Baseline through 24 months
Plan to share: No — No individual participant data will be shared. Study data will be analyzed in pseudonymized form by the coordinating study center. Any further use of study data beyond the present research question would require additional ethical and data protection review and, where applicable, additional consent.
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