Trial Combining Pembrolizumab and Cesium 131 Brachytherapy With Salvage Surgery in HNSCC

June 5, 2026 updated by: Chad Zender, University of Cincinnati

Phase 1b/II Trial Combining PD1 Inhibition (Pembrolizumab) and Cesium 131 Brachytherapy With Salvage Surgery to Enhance Immunogenicity and Improve Local Control in Head and Neck Cancer

To Study Perioperative PD-1 Inhibitor and Cesium-131 Interstitial Brachytherapy in patients with locally recurrent HNSCC eligible for salvage surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

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

This study is a non-randomized, single-arm, multi-institutional phase 1b/II study including patients with locally recurrent head and neck cancer eligible for resection. Patients who are identified to be eligible for surgical resection will be screened and consented to receive one 200mg IV dose of pembrolizumab followed by salvage surgery. At the time of surgery, they will have Cesium131 seeds implanted. Two to six weeks after surgery, subjects will be started on 200 mg IV of pembrolizumab to be continued every 3 weeks for 6 months. The phase 1b part will enroll 3 patients for a safety run-in, followed by the phase 2 part if no DLTs are seen in these 3 patients. Phase 2 will be used to estimate the 2-year DFS in comparison to a benchmark selected based on a historical control. For correlative studies, archived tissue and surgical specimen will be evaluated by H&E and IHC for immune phenotype. Blood samples will also be collected as shown in schema above for correlative studies (blood will be collected for correlatives and biomarkers before and after the first of pembrolizumab, before starting adjuvant pembrolizumab and at completion of 6 month course of adjuvant pembrolizumab). Patients will be followed approximately every 3 weeks during treatment for the first 6 months, then monthly for 3 months following treatment and then every 3 months thereafter for 24 months for disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

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 (Estimated)

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.
50

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45219
        • University of Cincinnati Medical Center
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19144
        • Thomas Jefferson

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

19 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • locally recurrent HNSCC and be eligible for salvage surgery
  • If patient received radiation therapy in the past, they should have recovered from the acute toxicity to <grade 1
  • tumor needs to be deemed resectable

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Exposed carotid artery preoperatively requiring sacrifice or bypass intra-operatively
  • Patients with active pharyngo-cutaneous
  • Patients with more than one site of distant metastatic disease
  • Prior immune-based anticancer therapy within last six months

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: Pembrolizumab & Cesium-131
200 mg Pembrolizumab (Day -14 pre-surgery; Every 3 weeks after surgery) + Cesium-131 Seeds to deliver 60-70Gy of radiation (Single dose at the time of salvage surgery)
Device: Cesium-131
Cs-131 brachytherapy seed is a low-energy-gamma isotope that is contained in a titanium capsule. Dosing will be determined by a radiation oncologist study team member based on CT scan and intraoperative findings. The number of seeds and spacing will be outlined preoperatively based on the proposed square area of exposure in the resection bed. The plan is to deliver a total of 60-70Gy of radiation to the site.
Other Names:
  • Cs-131
Drug: Pembrolizumab
Pembrolizumab 200 mg will be administered as a 30-minute IV infusion every 3 weeks. The drug will be infused through a peripheral line or an indwelling catheter. The first dose will be given 2 weeks prior to surgery. Post-surgery, pembrolizumab will be started between 2 and 6 weeks and will continue every 3 weeks for a duration of 6 months. Study Drug may be administered up to 3 days before or after the scheduled Day 1 of each cycle due to administrative reasons. The Investigator's Brochure contains specific instructions for the preparation of the standard of care pembrolizumab infusion fluid.

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
Overall Safety measured by dose limiting toxicities (DLTs).
Time Frame: 2 years
Phase Ib: To determine the safety of the combination of pembrolizumab and Cesium-131 in recurrent HNSCC patients undergoing salvage surgical resection. A 3+3 safety run in will be conducted for the phase 1b part of the protocol. Safety monitoring will begin at the time of enrollment on the study and will continue for at least 4 weeks after completion of the last treatment dose on study.
2 years
Disease-free survival
Time Frame: 2 years
Phase II: To estimate the disease-free survival (DFS) rate for the combination of pembrolizumab and Cesium 131 in recurrent HNSCC patients undergoing salvage surgical resection
2 years

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 Survival
Time Frame: 4 years
To estimate the Overall Survival (OS) Rate
4 years
Loco-regional control rate
Time Frame: 4 years
To estimate the Loco-regional control rate (LCR)
4 years
Adverse events
Time Frame: 4 years
To estimate the frequency and severity of adverse events (AE)
4 years

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.
University of Cincinnati

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.
IsoRay Medical, Inc.

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: Chad Zender, MD, University of Cincinnati

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.
February 4, 2021

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.
June 3, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
September 4, 2026

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).
April 5, 2020

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.
April 7, 2020

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.
April 9, 2020

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.
June 9, 2026

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.
June 5, 2026

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.
June 1, 2026

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.
  • UCCC-HN-20-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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