Neoadjuvant Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Resectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03918252 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : April 17, 2019
Last Update Posted : July 22, 2022
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Mesothelioma | Drug: Nivolumab Injection Drug: Ipilimumab Injection | Phase 1 Phase 2 |
For Arm A 15 patients with resectable MPM will be enrolled and receive preoperative nivolumab, 240mg IV, on Day -42, -28 and Day -14 (+/- two days for each timepoint) prior to planned surgery on Day 0 (to allow for scheduling surgery may take place between Day -3 and Day +10).
Subsequent to full accrual to Arm A, 15 patients with resectable MPM will be enrolled and receive preoperative nivolumab, 3mg/kg IV, on Day -42, -28 and Day -14 (+/- two days for each timepoint) + ipilimumab 1mg/kg IV on Day -42 prior to planned surgery on Day 0 (to allow for scheduling surgery may take place between Day -3 and Day +10).
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 30 participants |
Allocation: | Non-Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Sequential Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Neoadjuvant Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Resectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma |
Actual Study Start Date : | October 2, 2019 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | June 2025 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | June 2026 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Arm A Nivolumab Only
Receive preoperative nivolumab, 240mg IV, on Day -42, -28 and Day -14 (+/- two days for each timepoint) prior to planned surgery on Day 0 (to allow for scheduling surgery may take place between Day -3 and Day +10).
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Drug: Nivolumab Injection
Receive preoperative nivolumab, 240mg IV, on Day -42, -28 and Day -14 (+/- two days for each timepoint) prior to planned surgery on Day 0 (to allow for scheduling surgery may take place between Day -3 and Day +10).
Other Name: Optivo |
Experimental: Arm B Nivolumab + Ipilimumab
Receive preoperative nivolumab, 3mg/kg IV, on Day -42, -28 and Day -14 (+/- two days for each timepoint) + ipilimumab 1mg/kg IV on Day -42 prior to planned surgery on Day 0 (to allow for scheduling surgery may take place between Day -3 and Day +10).
|
Drug: Nivolumab Injection
Receive preoperative nivolumab, 240mg IV, on Day -42, -28 and Day -14 (+/- two days for each timepoint) prior to planned surgery on Day 0 (to allow for scheduling surgery may take place between Day -3 and Day +10).
Other Name: Optivo Drug: Ipilimumab Injection Receive preoperative nivolumab, 3mg/kg IV, on Day -42, -28 and Day -14 (+/- two days for each timepoint) + ipilimumab 1mg/kg IV on Day -42 prior to planned surgery on Day 0 (to allow for scheduling surgery may take place between Day -3 and Day +10).
Other Name: Yervoy |
- Safety Profile of neoadjuvant nivolumab +/- ipilimumab in patients with resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) with grade III/IV adverse events defined by CTCAE v5.0 [ Time Frame: up to 5 years ]Number of participants with grade III/IV adverse events defined by CTCAE v5.0, occurring within 100 days of last study drug administration or 30 days post-surgery (whichever is longer).
- Feasibility of neoadjuvant nivolumab +/- ipilimumab in patients with resectable MPM who complete of neoadjuvant treatment and proceed to surgery [ Time Frame: up to 5 years ]Feasibility as measured by the number of participants who complete of neoadjuvant treatment with nivolumab +/- ipilimumab and proceed to surgery without extended treatment-related delay (>24 days from preplanned surgery date).
- Pathological Response to neoadjuvant nivolumab +/- ipilimumab in resected tumor and lymph nodes in patients with resectable MPM defined as ≤10% residual viable tumor cells and pathologic complete response [ Time Frame: 5 years ]Number of participants with pathologic response, defined as ≤10% residual viable tumor cells in the resection specimen, and pathologic complete response (no residual viable tumor cells in the resection specimen).
- Radiographic Response to neoadjuvant nivolumab +/- ipilimumab utilizing RECIST 1.1 [ Time Frame: 5 years ]Number of participants with radiographic response as determined utilizing RECIST 1.1, modified RECIST for pleural tumors, and change in FDG avidity on PET/CT pre- and post-treatment.
- Toxicity as assessed by number of participants experienced grade III/IV adverse events as defined by CTCAE v5.0 within 100 days of last study drug administration [ Time Frame: up to 100 days post-intervention ]Toxicity as assessed by number of participants experienced grade III/IV adverse events as defined by CTCAE v5.0 within 100 days of last study drug administration

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Men and women ≥ 18 years old
- Primary tumor amenable to safe research biopsy. A tumor biopsy is required for study entry.
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Histology proven epithelial or biphasic MPM
- Diagnostic core biopsy specimens must be reviewed by faculty pathologist at SKCC, MDACC, or UMGCCC.
- Either a formalin fixed paraffin block that has been confirmed by a pathologist to contain tumor or a minimum of twenty 5-micron tissue sections (slides) of tumor biopsy sample must be available for biomarker evaluation (study pathologist must review for adequacy of sampling). This can be obtained from archived tissues if adequate, or from a new biopsy as needed.
- Stage I-III and deemed to be potentially surgically resectable as assessed by faculty surgeon at SKCC, MDACC, or UMGCCC
- ECOG performance status 0-1
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Adequate organ function as follows:
- Leukocytes ≥ 2,000/mm3
- Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1000/mm3
- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm3
- Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/Dl
- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 x ULN or creatinine clearance (CrCl) ≥40 mL/min (if using the Cockcroft-Gault formula below):
Female CrCl = (140 - age in years) x weight in kg x 0.85 72 x serum creatinine in mg/dL
Male CrCl = (140 - age in years) x weight in kg x 1.00 72 x serum creatinine in mg/dL
- Total Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x institutional ULN (except subjects with Gilbert Syndrome, who can have total bilirubin < 3.0 mg/dL)
- AST(SGOT), ALT(SGPT), and alkaline phosphatase ≤ 3 times the institutional upper limit of normal
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Subjects must have adequate lung function to permit surgical resection determined by pre-enrollment pulmonary function tests to include DLCO
- The effects of nivolumab on the developing human fetus are unknown. For this reason, women of child-bearing potential (WOCBP) and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation and for up to 23 weeks after the last dose of nivolumab. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. Sexually active fertile men must use effective barrier birth control if their partners are WOCBP for up to 31 weeks after the last dose of nivolumab. WOCBP must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test (minimum sensitivity 25 IU/L or equivalent units of HCG) within two weeks of registration. Women must not be breastfeeding.
- Patient understands the study regimen, its requirements, risks and discomforts and is able and willing to sign the informed consent form. Voluntary signed and dated IRB/IEC approved written informed consent form in accordance with regulatory and institutional guidelines must be obtained before the performance of any protocol related procedures that are not part of normal patient care. Subjects must be competent to report AEs, understand the drug dosing schedule and use of medications to control AEs.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Stage I-III disease but deemed to be unresectable, a poor surgical candidate, or unfit for study therapy as assessed by study investigators
- Pure sarcomatoid histology
- Subjects are excluded if they have an active, known or suspected autoimmune disease. Subjects are permitted to enroll if they have vitiligo, type I diabetes mellitus, residual hypothyroidism due to autoimmune condition only requiring hormone replacement, psoriasis not requiring systemic treatment, or conditions not expected to recur in the absence of an external trigger.
- Subjects are excluded if they have a condition requiring systemic treatment with either corticosteroids (> 10 mg daily prednisone equivalents) or other immunosuppressive medications within 14 days of study drug administration. Inhaled or topical steroids and adrenal replacement doses > 10 mg daily prednisone equivalents are permitted in the absence of active autoimmune disease. As there is potential for hepatic toxicity with nivolumab or nivolumab/ipilimumab combinations, drugs with a predisposition to hepatotoxicity should be used with caution in patients treated with nivolumab-containing regimen.
- Administration of chemotherapy or any other cancer therapy in the pre-operative period.
- Subjects with active concurrent malignancies are excluded i.e. cancers other than MPM (except non-melanoma skin cancers, cervical dysplasia, and in situ cancers of bladder, stomach, breast, colon and cervix).
- Subjects with a history of symptomatic interstitial lung disease.
- Active systemic infection requiring therapy, as well as positive tests for hepatitis B surface antigen or hepatitis C antibody.
- Known positive history or positive test for human immunodeficiency virus or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
- History of allergy to study drug components.
- Women who are pregnant or nursing.
- Men with female partners (WOCBP) that are unwilling to use contraception
- Prior therapy with an anti-PD1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2, or anti-CTLA-4 antibody (or any other antibody targeting T-cell co-regulatory pathways).
- History of any other condition that may require the initiation of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) therapies or other immunosuppressant medications during the study
- Underlying medical conditions that, in the Investigator's opinion, will make the administration of study drug hazardous or obscure the interpretation of toxicity or adverse events.
- Prisoners or subjects who are involuntarily incarcerated or compulsorily detained for treatment of either a psychiatric or physical (e.g. infectious disease) illness.

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): NCT03918252
Contact: Patrick Forde, MD | 4109558893 | pforde1@jhmi.edu | |
Contact: Heather Schneider, BS | 4105020984 | hschne12@jhmi.edu |
United States, Maryland | |
Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center University of Maryland School of Medicine | Recruiting |
Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201 | |
Contact: Katherine Scilla, MD 410-328-6373 kschrenk@umm.edu | |
Principal Investigator: Katherine Scilla, MD | |
Sub-Investigator: Ranee Mehra, MD | |
Sub-Investigator: Katherine E Arensmeyer, MD | |
Johns Hopkins University | Recruiting |
Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287 | |
Contact: Patrick Forde, MD 410-955-8893 pforde1@jhmi.edu | |
Contact: Heather Schneider, BS 4105020984 hschne12@jhmi.edu | |
Principal Investigator: Patrick Forde, MD | |
United States, Texas | |
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center | Recruiting |
Houston, Texas, United States, 77030 | |
Contact: Boris Sepesi, MD 713-563-0135 BSepesi@mdanderson.org | |
Principal Investigator: Boris Sepesi, MD | |
Sub-Investigator: Anne Tsao, MD |
Principal Investigator: | Patrick Forde, MD | Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins |
Responsible Party: | Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03918252 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
J1932 IRB00203283 ( Other Identifier: JHM IRB ) |
First Posted: | April 17, 2019 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | July 22, 2022 |
Last Verified: | July 2022 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
malignant resectable |
Mesothelioma Mesothelioma, Malignant Adenoma Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms Neoplasms, Mesothelial Lung Neoplasms Respiratory Tract Neoplasms Thoracic Neoplasms |
Neoplasms by Site Pleural Neoplasms Lung Diseases Respiratory Tract Diseases Nivolumab Ipilimumab Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological Antineoplastic Agents Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action |