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Pembrolizumab, Capecitabine, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Mismatch-Repair Deficient and Epstein-Barr Virus Positive Gastric Cancer

Primary Purpose

Epstein-Barr Virus Positive, Gastric Adenocarcinoma, Mismatch Repair Protein Deficiency

Status
Recruiting
Phase
Phase 2
Locations
United States
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
Capecitabine
Laboratory Biomarker Analysis
Pembrolizumab
Radiation Therapy
Sponsored by
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
About
Eligibility
Locations
Arms
Outcomes
Full info

About this trial

This is an interventional treatment trial for Epstein-Barr Virus Positive

Eligibility Criteria

18 Years - undefined (Adult, Older Adult)All SexesDoes not accept healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Written informed consent for the trial
  • Must have operable gastric adenocarcinoma, T2-T4a, N0-N3, M0
  • Staging evaluation within 42 days of enrollment consisting of staging laparoscopy, computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis, and positron emission tomography (PET) scan will be acquired; also endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) tumor and nodal staging will be required
  • Mismatch repair deficiency as identified by immunohistochemistry or other institutional standard, or Epstein-Barr virus positivity as determined by in situ hybridization or other institutional standard
  • Be willing to provide tissue from a newly obtained core or excisional biopsy of a tumor lesion; newly-obtained is defined as a specimen obtained up to 10 weeks (70 days) prior to initiation of treatment on day 1; subjects for whom newly-obtained samples cannot be provided (e.g. inaccessible or subject safety concern) may submit an archived specimen (if available from prior biopsy) only upon agreement from the sponsor
  • Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance scale
  • Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,500 /mcL
  • Platelets >= 100,000 / mcL
  • Hemoglobin >= 7 g/dL or >= 5.6 mmol/L with transfusion or erythropoietin (EPO) dependency
  • Serum creatinine =< 1.5 X upper limit of normal (ULN) OR measured or calculated creatinine clearance (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] can also be used in place of creatinine or creatinine clearance [CrCl]) >= 60 mL/min for subject with creatinine levels > 1.5 X institutional ULN
  • Serum total bilirubin =< 1.5 X ULN OR direct bilirubin =< ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels > 1.5 ULN
  • Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT]) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 2.5 X ULN
  • Albumin >= 2.5 mg/dL
  • International normalized ratio (INR) or prothrombin time (PT) =< 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or partial thromboplastin time (PTT) is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants
  • Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) =< 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants
  • Female subject of childbearing potential should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy within 7 days of enrollment; if the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required
  • Female subjects of childbearing potential must be willing to use an adequate method of contraception for the course of the study through 120 days after the last dose of study medication; Note: abstinence is acceptable if this is the usual lifestyle and preferred contraception for the subject
  • Male subjects of childbearing potential must agree to use an adequate method of contraception starting with the first dose of study therapy through 120 days after the last dose of study therapy; Note: abstinence is acceptable if this is the usual lifestyle and preferred contraception for the subject

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of metastatic disease is not allowed; subjects must be evaluated with imaging consisting of CT scan and PET scan prior to enrollment for protocol therapy to exclude metastatic disease
  • Prior chemotherapy, adjuvant therapy, or radiotherapy for gastric cancer
  • Prior radiotherapy that overlaps with planned radiotherapy portal
  • Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment
  • Has a known history of active TB (Bacillus tuberculosis)
  • Hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients
  • Has had a prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., =< grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier
  • 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

    • Note: subjects with =< grade 2 neuropathy are an exception to this criterion and may qualify for the study
    • Note: if subject received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting therapy
  • Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment; exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer
  • 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 current pneumonitis
  • Evidence of interstitial lung disease
  • Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy
  • Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the subject?s participation for the full duration of the trial, 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 or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment
  • Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agent
  • Has a known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies)
  • Has known active hepatitis B (e.g., hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or hepatitis C (e.g., hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA [qualitative] is detected)
  • Has received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy; Note: seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally inactivated flu vaccines and are allowed; however intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., Flu-Mist) are live attenuated vaccines, and are not allowed

Sites / Locations

  • Emory UniversityRecruiting
  • Rutgers Cancer Institute of New JerseyRecruiting
  • Montefiore Medical CenterRecruiting

Arms of the Study

Arm 1

Arm Type

Experimental

Arm Label

Treatment (pembrolizumab, capecitabine, radiation therapy)

Arm Description

Patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Within 2-6 weeks, patients undergo surgery. Beginning up to 56 days after surgery, patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1 and capecitabine PO BID on days 1-14. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 5 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Within 2-6 weeks of resting, patients continue to receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 11 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Beginning course 4, patients undergo radiation therapy over 15-30 minutes on days 1-5 for up to 5 weeks.

Outcomes

Primary Outcome Measures

Recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate
At the time of analysis (after 18 months of accrual and 18 additional months of follow-up), will compute a Kaplan-Meier survival curve and will compare the observed survival rate at three years to the historical level of 0.45.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Full Information

First Posted
August 17, 2017
Last Updated
July 11, 2023
Sponsor
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Collaborators
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
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1. Study Identification

Unique Protocol Identification Number
NCT03257163
Brief Title
Pembrolizumab, Capecitabine, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Mismatch-Repair Deficient and Epstein-Barr Virus Positive Gastric Cancer
Official Title
A Phase II Study of Preoperative Pembrolizumab for Mismatch-Repair Deficient and Epstein-Barr Virus Positive Gastric Cancer Followed by Chemotherapy and Chemoradiation With Pembrolizumab
Study Type
Interventional

2. Study Status

Record Verification Date
July 2023
Overall Recruitment Status
Recruiting
Study Start Date
September 29, 2017 (Actual)
Primary Completion Date
December 31, 2023 (Anticipated)
Study Completion Date
December 31, 2025 (Anticipated)

3. Sponsor/Collaborators

Responsible Party, by Official Title
Principal Investigator
Name of the Sponsor
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Collaborators
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

4. Oversight

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product
Yes
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product
No
Data Monitoring Committee
Yes

5. Study Description

Brief Summary
This phase II trial studies how well pembrolizumab works with capecitabine and radiation therapy in treating patients with mismatch repair deficient and Epstein-Barr virus positive gastric cancer. Monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving pembrolizumab, capecitabine and radiation therapy may work better at treating gastric cancer.
Detailed Description
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To assess efficacy (disease-free survival) of operable gastric cancer treated with PD-1 blockade using pembrolizumab. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To characterize the safety and tolerability of pembrolizumab in the preoperative setting and postoperative setting with chemoradiation. II. To evaluate response rates, recurrence rates, and patterns of recurrence/metastasis. III. To characterize adverse events (AE) of pembrolizumab in combination with radiation therapy and capecitabine. IV. To evaluate overall survival rates. TERTIARY OBJECTIVES: I. To assess T cell responses and pathological responses in the tumor specimen. II. To correlate PD-L1 expression in tumor tissue and stroma with tumor tissue response. III. To evaluate ribonucleic acid (RNA) expression via Nanostring technology with tumor tissue response. OUTLINE: Patients receive pembrolizumab intravenously (IV) over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Within 2-6 weeks, patients undergo surgery. Beginning up to 56 days after surgery, patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1 and capecitabine orally (PO) twice daily (BID) on days 1-14. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 5 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Within 2-6 weeks of resting, patients continue to receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 11 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Beginning course 4, patients undergo radiation therapy over 15-30 minutes on days 1-5 for up to 5 weeks. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 12 weeks for 1 year, every 16 weeks for 2 years, every 4 months for year 2, and every 6 months for 2 years.

6. Conditions and Keywords

Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
Epstein-Barr Virus Positive, Gastric Adenocarcinoma, Mismatch Repair Protein Deficiency, Stage IB Gastric Cancer AJCC v7, Stage II Gastric Cancer AJCC v7, Stage IIA Gastric Cancer AJCC v7, Stage IIB Gastric Cancer AJCC v7, Stage III Gastric Cancer AJCC v7, Stage IIIA Gastric Cancer AJCC v7, Stage IIIB Gastric Cancer AJCC v7, Stage IIIC Gastric Cancer AJCC v7

7. Study Design

Primary Purpose
Treatment
Study Phase
Phase 2
Interventional Study Model
Single Group Assignment
Masking
None (Open Label)
Allocation
N/A
Enrollment
40 (Anticipated)

8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

Arm Title
Treatment (pembrolizumab, capecitabine, radiation therapy)
Arm Type
Experimental
Arm Description
Patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Within 2-6 weeks, patients undergo surgery. Beginning up to 56 days after surgery, patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1 and capecitabine PO BID on days 1-14. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 5 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Within 2-6 weeks of resting, patients continue to receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 11 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Beginning course 4, patients undergo radiation therapy over 15-30 minutes on days 1-5 for up to 5 weeks.
Intervention Type
Drug
Intervention Name(s)
Capecitabine
Intervention Description
Given PO
Intervention Type
Other
Intervention Name(s)
Laboratory Biomarker Analysis
Intervention Description
Correlative studies
Intervention Type
Biological
Intervention Name(s)
Pembrolizumab
Intervention Description
Given IV
Intervention Type
Radiation
Intervention Name(s)
Radiation Therapy
Intervention Description
Undergo radiation therapy
Primary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate
Description
At the time of analysis (after 18 months of accrual and 18 additional months of follow-up), will compute a Kaplan-Meier survival curve and will compare the observed survival rate at three years to the historical level of 0.45.
Time Frame
3 years

10. Eligibility

Sex
All
Minimum Age & Unit of Time
18 Years
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Written informed consent for the trial Must have operable gastric adenocarcinoma, T2-T4a, N0-N3, M0 Staging evaluation within 42 days of enrollment consisting of staging laparoscopy, computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis, and positron emission tomography (PET) scan will be acquired; also endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) tumor and nodal staging will be required Mismatch repair deficiency as identified by immunohistochemistry or other institutional standard, or Epstein-Barr virus positivity as determined by in situ hybridization or other institutional standard Be willing to provide tissue from a newly obtained core or excisional biopsy of a tumor lesion; newly-obtained is defined as a specimen obtained up to 10 weeks (70 days) prior to initiation of treatment on day 1; subjects for whom newly-obtained samples cannot be provided (e.g. inaccessible or subject safety concern) may submit an archived specimen (if available from prior biopsy) only upon agreement from the sponsor Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance scale Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,500 /mcL Platelets >= 100,000 / mcL Hemoglobin >= 7 g/dL or >= 5.6 mmol/L with transfusion or erythropoietin (EPO) dependency Serum creatinine =< 1.5 X upper limit of normal (ULN) OR measured or calculated creatinine clearance (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] can also be used in place of creatinine or creatinine clearance [CrCl]) >= 60 mL/min for subject with creatinine levels > 1.5 X institutional ULN Serum total bilirubin =< 1.5 X ULN OR direct bilirubin =< ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels > 1.5 ULN Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT]) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 2.5 X ULN Albumin >= 2.5 mg/dL International normalized ratio (INR) or prothrombin time (PT) =< 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or partial thromboplastin time (PTT) is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) =< 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants Female subject of childbearing potential should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy within 7 days of enrollment; if the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required Female subjects of childbearing potential must be willing to use an adequate method of contraception for the course of the study through 120 days after the last dose of study medication; Note: abstinence is acceptable if this is the usual lifestyle and preferred contraception for the subject Male subjects of childbearing potential must agree to use an adequate method of contraception starting with the first dose of study therapy through 120 days after the last dose of study therapy; Note: abstinence is acceptable if this is the usual lifestyle and preferred contraception for the subject Exclusion Criteria: Presence of metastatic disease is not allowed; subjects must be evaluated with imaging consisting of CT scan and PET scan prior to enrollment for protocol therapy to exclude metastatic disease Prior chemotherapy, adjuvant therapy, or radiotherapy for gastric cancer Prior radiotherapy that overlaps with planned radiotherapy portal Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment Has a known history of active TB (Bacillus tuberculosis) Hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients Has had a prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., =< grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier 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 Note: subjects with =< grade 2 neuropathy are an exception to this criterion and may qualify for the study Note: if subject received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting therapy Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment; exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer 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 current pneumonitis Evidence of interstitial lung disease Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the subject?s participation for the full duration of the trial, 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 or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agent Has a known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies) Has known active hepatitis B (e.g., hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or hepatitis C (e.g., hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA [qualitative] is detected) Has received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy; Note: seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally inactivated flu vaccines and are allowed; however intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., Flu-Mist) are live attenuated vaccines, and are not allowed
Overall Study Officials:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Salma Jabbour
Organizational Affiliation
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Official's Role
Principal Investigator
Facility Information:
Facility Name
Emory University
City
Atlanta
State/Province
Georgia
ZIP/Postal Code
30308
Country
United States
Individual Site Status
Recruiting
Facility Contact:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Salma Jabbour, MD
Phone
732-235-2465
Email
jabbousk@cinj.rutgers.edu
Facility Name
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
City
New Brunswick
State/Province
New Jersey
ZIP/Postal Code
08903
Country
United States
Individual Site Status
Recruiting
Facility Contact:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Salma K. Jabbour
Phone
732-235-3961
Email
jabbousk@cinj.rutgers.edu
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Salma K. Jabbour
Facility Name
Montefiore Medical Center
City
Bronx
State/Province
New York
ZIP/Postal Code
10467
Country
United States
Individual Site Status
Recruiting
Facility Contact:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Salma Jabbour, MD
Phone
732-235-3961
Email
jabbousk@cinj.rutgers.edu

12. IPD Sharing Statement

Plan to Share IPD
No

Learn more about this trial

Pembrolizumab, Capecitabine, and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Mismatch-Repair Deficient and Epstein-Barr Virus Positive Gastric Cancer

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