Immunotherapy clinical trials at UCSD

This is a Phase Ib/II, open-label, multicenter, randomized umbrella study in participants with advanced liver cancers. The study is designed with the flexibility to open new treatment arms as new treatments become available, close existing treatment arms that demonstrate minimal clinical activity or unacceptable toxicity, modify the participant population, or introduce additional cohorts of participants with other types of advanced primary liver cancer. Cohort 1 will enroll participants with locally advanced or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have not received prior systemic therapy for their disease. Eligible participants will initially be randomly assigned to one of several treatment arms (Stage 1). Participants who experience loss of clinical benefit or unacceptable toxicity during Stage 1 may be eligible to receive treatment with a different treatment combination (Stage 2). When a Stage 2 treatment combination is available, this will be introduced by amending the protocol.

This study is a randomized, open label, multicenter Phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of botensilimab (a novel Fc enhanced Tree depleting anti-CTLA4) and balstilimab (a novel anti-PD1) relative to ipilimumab and nivolumab in treatment naïve patients with metastatic ccRCC. The study will plan to enroll 120 eligible patients randomized in a 2:1 fashion to Arm A and Arm B. Patients in all IMDC Risk Groups are included. This study utilizes a Simon's two stage design which is described in the protocol. Patients randomized to Arm A will receive botensilimab in combination with balstilimab. Patients randomized to Arm B will receive ipilimumab in combination with nivolumab. Study treatment on both arms will continue until toxicity, disease progression or a maximum of 96 total weeks (12 weeks induction, 84 weeks maintenance).

The purpose of this study is to compare any good or bad effects of using pembrolizumab (an experimental drug) and radiation therapy (RT), compared to using cisplatin chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT) in the treatment of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

This phase II trial tests the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab with sirolimus and prednisone for the treatment of skin (cutaneous) cancer that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) or that has spread from where it first started to other places in the body (metastatic) in kidney transplant recipients. Immunotherapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab, may induce changes in body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Sirolimus and prednisone are immunosuppressants that are given to keep the body from rejecting the transplanted kidney. Giving nivolumab and ipilimumab in combination with sirolimus and prednisone may kill more cancer cells, while also keeping the transplanted kidney healthy, in patients with unresectable or metastatic cutaneous cancer who have received a kidney transplant.

This screening and multi-sub-study randomized phase II/III trial will establish a method for genomic screening of similar large cancer populations followed by assigning and accruing simultaneously to a multi-sub-study hybrid Master Protocol (Lung-MAP). The type of cancer trait (biomarker) will determine to which sub-study, within this protocol, a participant will be assigned to compare new targeted cancer therapy, designed to block the growth and spread of cancer, or combinations to standard of care therapy with the ultimate goal of being able to approve new targeted therapies in this setting. In addition, the protocol includes non-match sub-studies which will include all screened patients not eligible for any of the biomarker-driven sub-studies.

This phase I trial tests the safety, side effects, best dose, and effectiveness of emavusertib (CA-4948) in combination with pembrolizumab in treating patients with urothelial cancer that has spread from where it first started to other places in the body (metastatic) and that has a resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. CA-4948, a kinase inhibitor, may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the tumor, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving CA-4948 in combination with pembrolizumab may be safe, tolerable and/or effective in treating patients with metastatic urothelial cancer that is resistant to PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether treatment with RP2 can provide efficacy as 2L treatment combined with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab in patients with locally advanced unresectable, recurrent, and/or metastatic HCC.

The purpose of this study is to assess the objective response rate (ORR) of immunotherapy-based combination therapy and to assess the safety and tolerability of immunotherapy-based combination therapy.

This phase II/III trial studies how well radiation therapy works when given together with cisplatin, docetaxel, cetuximab, and/or atezolizumab after surgery in treating patients with high-risk stage III-IV head and neck cancer the begins in the thin, flat cells (squamous cell). Specialized radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor may kill more tumor cells and cause less damage to normal tissue. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin and docetaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as atezolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. The purpose of this study is to compare the usual treatment (radiation therapy with cisplatin chemotherapy) to using radiation therapy with docetaxel and cetuximab chemotherapy, and using the usual treatment plus an immunotherapy drug, atezolizumab.

This phase III ALCHEMIST trial tests the addition of pembrolizumab to usual chemotherapy for the treatment of stage IIA, IIB, IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer that has been removed by surgery. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin, pemetrexed, carboplatin, gemcitabine hydrochloride, and paclitaxel, 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. Giving pembrolizumab with usual chemotherapy may help increase survival times in patients with stage IIA, IIB, IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer.

This phase III trial compares the effect of adding cemiplimab to standard therapy (surgery with or without radiation) versus standard therapy alone in treating patients with stage III/IV squamous cell skin cancer that is able to be removed by surgery (resectable) and that may have come back after a period of improvement (recurrent). The usual treatment for patients with resectable squamous cell skin cancer is the removal of the cancerous tissue (surgery) with or without radiation, which uses high energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as cemiplimab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Cemiplimab has been approved for the treatment of skin cancer that has spread or that cannot be removed by surgery, but it has not been approved for the treatment of skin cancer than can be removed by surgery. Adding cemiplimab to the usual treatment of surgery with or without radiation may be more effective in treating patients with stage III/IV resectable squamous cell skin cancer than the usual treatment alone.

This phase II trial tests whether the addition of radiation to the primary tumor, typically given with stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR), in combination with standard of care immunotherapy improves outcomes in patients with renal cell cancer that is not recommended for surgery and has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). Radiation therapy uses high energy photons to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Stereotactic body radiation therapy uses special equipment to position a patient and deliver radiation to tumors with high precision. This method may kill tumor cells with fewer doses of radiation over a shorter period and cause less damage to normal tissue. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, ipilimumab, avelumab, and pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Axitinib, cabozantinib, and lenvatinib are in a class of medications called antiangiogenic agents. They work by stopping the formation of blood vessels that bring oxygen and nutrients to tumor. This may slow the growth and spread of tumor. Giving SABR in combination with standard of care immunotherapy may help shrink or stabilize the cancer in patients with renal cell cancer.

This phase II/III trial examines whether patients who have undergone surgical removal of bladder, kidney, ureter or urethra, but require an additional treatment called immunotherapy to help prevent their urinary tract (urothelial) cancer from coming back, can be identified by a blood test. Many types of tumors tend to lose cells or release different types of cellular products including their DNA which is referred to as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) into the bloodstream before changes can be seen on scans. Health care providers can measure the level of ctDNA in blood or other bodily fluids to determine which patients are at higher risk for disease progression or relapse. In this study, a blood test is used to measure ctDNA and see if there is still cancer somewhere in the body after surgery and if giving a treatment will help eliminate the cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab and relatlimab, can help the body's immune system to attack the cancer, and can interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial may help doctors determine if ctDNA measurement in blood can better identify patients that need additional treatment, if treatment with nivolumab prolongs patients' life and whether the additional immunotherapy treatment with relatlimab extends time without disease progression or prolongs life of urothelial cancer patients who have undergone surgical removal of their bladder, kidney, ureter or urethra.

This phase II trial studies the effect of pembrolizumab alone compared to the usual approach (chemotherapy [cisplatin and carboplatin] plus radiation therapy) after surgery in treating patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that has come back (recurrent) or patients with a second head and neck cancer that is not from metastasis (primary). Radiation therapy uses high energy radiation or protons to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Carboplatin is also in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works in a way similar to the anticancer drug cisplatin, but may be better tolerated than cisplatin. Carboplatin works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving pembrolizumab alone after surgery may work better than the usual approach in shrinking recurrent or primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

This is a phase 2, randomized, open-label, single-center study that will assess the efficacy of TriCalm Hydrogel®, a topical gel containing strontium, for treating pruritus related to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Background: Primary Liver Cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. It is the cancer with the fastest rising incidence and mortality in the United States. Researchers want to learn more about liver cancer to help them design better treatments. Objective: To better understand liver cancer. Eligibility: People ages 18 and older who have liver cancer and had or are planning to have immune therapy Design: Participants will be screened with a review of their medical records. They will be asked about their medical history and test results. Participants will come to the NIH Clinical Center. During this visit, their medical records, test results, imaging studies, and tissue samples (if available) will be gathered. Participants will learn the results of a test to see if they have any mutations known to be connected to cancer. They will learn if there are treatment options for them. Participants will give blood, urine, and stool samples or rectal swabs. Participants will not have follow-up visits just for this study. If they join another NIH research study and have visits for this other study, their medical records; test results; and blood, urine, and stool samples may be collected. This will occur about every 3 months. If they have a biopsy or surgery on another study or as part of treatment and there is leftover tissue, researchers would like to collect some of that tissue. Participants will be contacted every 6 months by phone or e-mail. They will be asked about their health. They will provide any medical records, test results, and imaging studies. Participants will be followed on this study for life.