Gemcitabine, Bendamustine, and Nivolumab in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma

July 18, 2025 updated by: Jonathon Cohen, Emory University

A Phase I/II Study of Gemcitabine, Bendamustine, and Nivolumab in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma

This phase I/II trial studies the side effects and best dose of gemcitabine, bendamustine, and nivolumab when given together and to see how well they work in treating patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma that has come back or does not respond to treatment. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine and bendamustine, 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. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving gemcitabine, bendamustine, and nivolumab may work better in treating patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate the toxicity and determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of combined gemcitabine, bendamustine, and nivolumab in patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

II. To determine the efficacy of bendamustine, gemcitabine, and nivolumab in patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate the duration of response, progression-free survival, and overall survival for patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma who receive gemcitabine, bendamustine, and nivolumab, including those who receive nivolumab maintenance.

OUTLINE: This is a phase I, dose-escalation study followed by a phase II study.

Patients receive gemcitabine intravenously (IV) over 30 minutes on day 1, bendamustine IV over 30 minutes on days 1 and 2, and nivolumab over 60 minutes IV on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients may then receive nivolumab IV over 60 minutes on day 1. Treatment with single agent nivolumab repeats every 28 days for up to 26 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 3 months for 2 years.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
3

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Georgia
      • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30322
        • Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute
      • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30342
        • Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Histologically documented classical Hodgkin lymphoma that is recurrent or refractory after standard chemotherapy. Core biopsies are acceptable if they contain adequate tissue for primary diagnosis and immunophenotyping. Bone marrow biopsies as the sole means of diagnosis are not acceptable. At least one biopsy-proven relapse is required for enrollment, but patients who have multiply relapsed disease do not require repeat biopsy if not clinically indicated

  • Prior treatment: patients must have relapsed or progressed after at least one prior therapy

    • Patients with relapsed or refractory disease following autologous stem cell transplantation are permitted. Due to the risk of treatment-refractory graft versus host disease (GVHD), patients who have previously completed an allogeneic transplant are excluded.
    • Patients may have received gemcitabine, bendamustine, or nivolumab in the past but may not have discontinued therapy due to toxicity felt to be related to that specific drug
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2

  • Measurable disease must be present either on physical examination or imaging studies. Non-measurable disease alone is not acceptable

    • Measurable disease

      • Lesions that can be accurately measured in at least two dimensions as ≥ 1.0 x 1.0 cm by computerized tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET)/CT (positron emission tomography/CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
      • If identified by PET/CT, there must be at least one lesion that demonstrates abnormal fludeoxyglucose (FDG) avidity, consistent with active disease. Ultrasound or physical examination alone may not be utilized to confirm measurable disease

    • Non-measurable disease

      • All other lesions, including small lesions (less than 1.0 x 1.0 cm) and truly non-measurable lesions

      • Lesions that are considered non-measurable include the following:

        • Bone lesions (lesions if present should be noted)
        • Ascites
        • Pleural/pericardial effusion
        • Lymphangitis cutis/pulmonis
        • Bone marrow (involvement by Hodgkin lymphoma should be noted)
  • Non-pregnant and non-nursing. Women and men of reproductive potential should agree to use an effective means of birth control
  • Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are eligible. Patients with HIV infection must meet the following: no evidence of co-infection with hepatitis B or C; cluster of differentiation 4+ (CD4+) count ≥ 400/mm; no evidence of resistant strains of HIV; on anti-HIV therapy with an HIV viral load < 50 copies HIV ribonucleic acid (RNA)/mL. Patients with HIV must have ongoing follow-up with an infectious disease specialist and must have been evaluated within 90 days of cycle 1 day 1
  • Patients with a history of hepatitis C are eligible as long as the hepatitis C has been treated and cleared and they have no evidence of hepatic dysfunction related to hepatitis C. Patients must have been seen by a hepatologist within 6 months of cycle 1 day 1
  • Patients who test positive for hepatitis B core antibody may enroll on the study as long as they test negative for both hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and if they have no evidence of hepatic dysfunction that is felt to be related to hepatitis B

  • Patients must have adequate pulmonary function, defined as the following:

    • No history of drug-related, radiation-induced, or autoimmune pneumonitis requiring hospital admission
    • Baseline pulse oximetry reading of ≥ 92% on room air
    • Patients with a history of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) must have no oxygen requirement, must have not had a hospital admission for COPD/asthma exacerbation within the past 2 years, and must not have received systemic steroids (≥ 10 mg prednisone for more than 7 days) for asthma/COPD within the past 2 years
  • Patients with hypothyroidism or type 1 diabetes mellitus that are on chronic hormonal therapy and which are well-controlled are eligible
  • Granulocytes ≥ 1000/µl
  • Platelet count ≥ 75,000/µl
  • Creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min
  • Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
  • Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.0 x upper limits of normal

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Due to the teratogenic potential of these agents, pregnant or nursing patients may not be enrolled
  • Patients may not have an auto-immune disease requiring systemic immunosuppression, biologic therapy, and/or steroid use (≥ 10 mg daily of prednisone or equivalent)
  • Patients with current or prior central nervous system (CNS) involvement with lymphoma are not eligible

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Gemcitabine, bendamustine, nivolumab
Patients receive gemcitabine IV over 30 minutes on day 1, bendamustine IV over 30 minutes on days 1 and 2, and nivolumab over 60 minutes IV on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients may then receive nivolumab IV over 60 minutes on day 1. Treatment with single agent nivolumab repeats every 28 days for up to 26 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Biological: Nivolumab
Given IV
Other Names:
  • BMS-936558
  • MDX-1106
  • NIVO
  • ONO-4538
  • Opdivo
Drug: Gemcitabine
Given IV
Other Names:
  • dFdCyd
  • dFdC
  • Difluorodeoxycytidine
Drug: Bendamustine
Given IV
Other Names:
  • Treanda
  • Cytostasan Hydrochloride
  • Levact
  • Ribomustin
  • SyB L-0501
  • Bendamustine Hydrochloride

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Maximum Tolerable Dose (Phase I)
Time Frame: Up to completion of course 2 at 42 days after study start
Maximum tolerable dose will be defined as the highest dose level where at most 1 of 6 patients experience dose limiting toxicity (DLT).
Up to completion of course 2 at 42 days after study start
Complete Response (CR) Rate (Phase II)
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from discontinuation of study therapy
Complete response rate will be determined by dividing the number of CRs (per Lugano criteria) by the total number of evaluable patients.
Up to 2 years from discontinuation of study therapy

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Overall Response Rate (Phase II)
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from discontinuation of study therapy
Overall response rate will be evaluated using Lugano criteria of response. Overall response rate will be defined as the total number of patients achieving a partial response or CR as best response through cycle 6 divided by total number of patients treated.
Up to 2 years from discontinuation of study therapy
Duration of Response (Phase II)
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from discontinuation of study therapy
Duration of response will be evaluated using Lugano criteria of response and will be determined from date of best response to progression or death.
Up to 2 years from discontinuation of study therapy
Progression Free Survival (PFS) (Phase II)
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from discontinuation of study therapy
Progression free survival will be evaluated using Lugano criteria and will be determined from date of first dose of study drug to progression or death.
Up to 2 years from discontinuation of study therapy
Overall Survival (OS) (Phase II)
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from discontinuation of study therapy
Overall survival will be evaluated using Lugano criteria and will be determined from date of first dose of study drug to death from any cause.
Up to 2 years from discontinuation of study therapy

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Emory University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Jonathon Cohen, MD, MS, Emory University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 26, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 22, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 1, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 9, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 14, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 6, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 18, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IRB00104033
  • P30CA138292 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • NCI-2018-02221 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))
  • Winship4388-18 (Other Identifier: Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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