A Study of PEP503 With Radiotherapy in Combination With Concurrent Chemotherapy for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02901483 |
Recruitment Status :
Terminated
(bussiness reason)
First Posted : September 15, 2016
Last Update Posted : January 11, 2022
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It's a prospective, open-label, single arm, nonrandomized study of PEP503 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients.
- Escalation portion (Phase 1b):A 3 + 3 dose escalation study design will be adopted in this phase to identify the recommended intratumor injection volumes of PEP503.
- Expansion portion (Phase 2): Following confirmation of the recommended volumes, 18 additional patients will be enrolled at the recommended volume level to evaluate for safety and efficacy.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma | Drug: PEP503 Drug: Cisplatin Radiation: Radiotherapy | Phase 1 Phase 2 |
Primary Objectives:
- Phase 1b (dose escalation portion): To assess the safety profile and determine the Dose Limiting Toxicity (DLT) and to define the recommended volumes (doses) of PEP503.
- Phase 2 (expansion portion): To evaluate the anti-tumor activity in terms of the rate of locoregional control at one year and to evaluate the safety profile.
Secondary Objectives:
- Phase 1b: To characterize the body kinetic profile of PEP503.
- Phase 2: Objective tumor response, progression free survival rate at 1 year and pathological response (pR).
The target population is composed by patients who have pathologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity with disease clinically staged as T4b who are not candidates for surgical resection or T3-4 who decline surgery or medical inoperable, or oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx with disease clinical staged as T3-4, without metastasis disease. ECOG performance status 0 or 1 and adequate bone marrow, renal, and hepatic function.
Dose limiting toxicity (DLT) - The DLTs are related to PEP503, injection procedure, or concurrent chemo radiation therapy and occur in the DLT evaluation period. The DLT evaluation period starts from the intratumor injection of PEP503 to 4 weeks after the completion of radiation treatment.
There are 6 levels (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Level 3a and Level 5) in this phase 1b study. PEP503 will be given at the fixed concentration of 53.3g/L. The starting volume of PEP503 to be injected is 5% (Level 1) of the tumor volume confirmed by MRI.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 12 participants |
Allocation: | N/A |
Intervention Model: | Single Group Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Phase 1b/2 Study of PEP503 (Radioenhancer) With Radiotherapy in Combination With Concurrent Chemotherapy for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer |
Actual Study Start Date : | October 11, 2016 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | August 17, 2020 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | August 17, 2020 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: PEP503+Cisplatin+Radiotheraphy
Phase 1b: There are 6 levels (L1- 5% + 40mg/m2 weekly cisplatin, L2- 10% + 40mg/m2 weekly cisplatin, L3- 15% + 40mg/m2 weekly cisplatin, L4-22% + 100mg/m2 tri-weekly cisplatin, L3a- 15% + 100mg/m2 tri-weekly cisplatin, and L5- 33% + 100mg/m2 tri-weekly cisplatin) in this phase 1b study. Only primary tumor will receive PEP503 implementation via intratumor injection. A 3 + 3 dose escalation study design will be adopted in this phase to identify the recommended intratumor injection volumes of PEP503. Phase 2: The recommended volume identified from phase 1b will be applied in phase 2 for both primary tumor and ≥ 3 cm lymph node lesions. |
Drug: PEP503
PEP503 will be administered by intratumoral route as slow injection
Other Name: NBTXR3 Drug: Cisplatin The concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Weekly cisplatin 40 mg/m2 or tri-weekly 100 mg/m2, depending on which dose level patients are in, with a minimum of accumulated 200 mg/m2 during the 7~8 weeks' radiation period. Radiation: Radiotherapy Patients will receive 70-72 Gy, 2-2.12 Gy/fraction over 7~8 weeks. |
- Phase 1: Determination of the Recommended doses and the Dose Limiting Toxicities (DLT) [ Time Frame: 24 months ]To determine the Recommended volumes and the Dose Limiting Toxicities (DLT) of PEP503 administered as intratumor injection, activated by CCRT
- Phase 2: The rate of locoregional control at one year [ Time Frame: 24 months ]To evaluate the rate of locoregional control at one year after PEP503 intratumor injection
- Phase1 and 2: Evaluation of Safety profile of PEP503 [ Time Frame: 24 months ]Safety of PEP503, as intratumor injection schedule, activated by CCRT will be assessed in terms of incidence and severity of clinical and laboratory Adverse Events by NCI-CTCAE version 4.0
- Phase 1: The body kinetic profile of PEP503 [ Time Frame: 24 months ]To characterize the body kinetics on Date of injection(DINJ) of PEP503 administered by intratumor injection before CCRT
- Phase 2: Evaluation of objective tumor response as per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) [ Time Frame: 24 months ]To evaluate the objective tumor rate by using RECIST v1.1 after intratumor injection schedule, activated by CCRT
- Phase 2: Pathological response (pR) [ Time Frame: 24 months ]If patients receive tumor and/or neck lymph node dissection after treatment, to assess according to the evidence of viable tumor cell
- Phase 2: Evalution of progression free survival rate at 1 year [ Time Frame: 24 months ]To evaluate the progression free survival rate at 1 year after the intratumor injection of PEP503

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 20 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Histologically or cytologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx
- Locally advanced or recurrent disease of: Oral Cavity:T4b, N any, who are not candidates for surgical resection; or T3-4, N any, who decline surgery or medical inoperable; OR Oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx: T3-4, N any
- No evidence of distant metastatic disease, as determined by a negative PET scan or CT scan
- ECOG Performance Status 0 or 1
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Adequate function of bone marrow, kidney and liver:
- White Blood Cell (WBC) ≥ 3.0 x 109/l
- Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 x 109/l
- Platelet count ≥ 100 x 109/l
- Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
- Creatinine within normal range, for dose level with tri-weekly cisplatin, estimated GFR ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73m2 or CrCl ≥ mL/min is also required
- AST ≤ 2.5 x ULN, ALT ≤ 2.5 x ULN and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) ≤ 2.5 x ULN
- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN
- 20 years of age or older
- All female patients of childbearing potential must have negative urine pregnancy test within 7 days prior to study treatment with PEP503. Fertile patients must agree to use effective contraception during the study
Exclusion Criteria:
- Tumor ulceration combined with vascular risks
- Prior radiotherapy to any area within the planned radiotherapy field
- Uncontrolled intercurrent illness
- Concurrent treatment with any other anticancer therapy
- Participation in any investigational drug study within 4 weeks
- Prior or concurrent non-head and neck malignancies, excluding adequately treated basal or squamous cell cancer of the skin, and in situ cervical cancer, and any other cancer from which the subject has been cancer free for 5 years
- Patients unable to comply with scheduled visits and other study procedures.
- Preexisting neuropathy ≥ Grade 2 (CTCAE)
- Pre-existing hearing impairment > Grade 2 (CTCAE) for patients receiving cisplatin 100 mg/m2
- History of allergic reaction to platinum product

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02901483
Taiwan | |
Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Lovers Lake Branch) | |
Keelung, Taiwan |
Principal Investigator: | Cheng-Hsu Wang, M.D. | Keelung Chang Gung Memeorial Hospital (Lovers Lake Branch) |
Responsible Party: | PharmaEngine |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT02901483 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
PEP503-HN-1002 |
First Posted: | September 15, 2016 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | January 11, 2022 |
Last Verified: | December 2021 |
Head and Neck |
Head and Neck Neoplasms Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial |
Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Cisplatin Antineoplastic Agents |