Pembrolizumab Plus Olaparib in LA-HNSCC

January 26, 2026 updated by: UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

A Phase II Trial of Induction and Maintenance Pembrolizumab and Olaparib in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC)

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the effectiveness of using a combination of pembrolizumab and olaparib when given before and after standard chemoradiation therapy in treating locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Pembrolizumab and olaparib are drugs that are approved for head and neck cancer treatment. However, FDA has not approved the use of these two drugs together in treating head and neck cancer.

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

Treatment outcomes are poor for patients with locally advance human papilloma virus (HPV) negative and high-risk HPV positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). One standard of care (SOC) for HNSCC is definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT). This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the addition of pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed death-1 (PD1) inhibitor, and olaparib, a Polyadenosine 5'diphosphoribose polymerization (PARP) inhibitor, before and after SOC CRT, which will be delivered in 70 Gray in 35 fractions with concurrent weekly cisplatin 40 mg/m2 over 7 weeks.

Treatment will be offered in three sequential phases. In the induction phase, participants will receive one infusion of pembrolizumab and will take olaparib tablets for a total of 21 days. In the chemoradiation phase, radiation therapy will administered daily (excluding weekends) and cisplatin infusion will be given weekly. In the maintenance phase, pembrolizumab infusion will be done once every 6 weeks in additional to twice daily olaparib tablets for up to 8 treatment cycles that are 42-days per cycle.

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.
45

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

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Indiana
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
        • Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • Kentucky
      • Louisville, Kentucky, United States, 40202
        • University of Louisville, Brown Cancer Center
    • North Carolina
      • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27514
        • UNC Lineberger
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425
        • Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

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:

In order to participate in this study, a subject must meet all of the eligibility criteria outlined below.

  1. Age >18 years on the day of signing the consent
  2. Written informed consent obtained to participate in the study and HIPAA authorization for release of personal health information.
  3. Subject is willing and able to comply with study procedures based on the judgment of the investigator or protocol designee. The subject must be willing to consent to a mandatory pre-study biopsy unless sufficient archival tissue is available.
  4. Biopsy confirmed American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th Edition35 stage III-IV B oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), p16-negative oropharyngeal SCC, stage III-IVB hypopharyngeal SCC, stage III-IVB laryngeal SCC -OR- HPV-associated oropharyngeal SCC (p16 positive or HPV-associated) T4 or N3 , T1-3 N2 or T3N0-1 with >10 pack-year tobacco history
  5. At least one lesion (measurable and/or non-measurable) that can be accurately assessed at baseline by imaging (CT/ PET) and is suitable for repeated assessment.
  6. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1
  7. No prior curative attempts for this cancer (i.e., surgery, radiation, systemic therapy) and not currently participating in or has participated in a study of an investigational agent or has used an investigational device within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of the study intervention. No evidence of metastatic disease (M0)

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Subjects with prior and concurrent malignancies of different tumor types whose natural history or treatment does not have the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the study drug are eligible with the following exception: Subjects with prior history of HNSCC treated < 3 years to the date of consent.
  2. Cisplatin-ineligible as defined in the protocol.
  3. Severe, active medical comorbidity. Subjects are considered a poor medical risk due to a serious, uncontrolled medical disorder, non-malignant systemic disease, or active, uncontrolled infection. Examples include, but are not limited to, uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmia, recent (within 3 months) myocardial infarction, uncontrolled major seizure disorder, unstable spinal cord compression, superior vena cava syndrome, extensive interstitial bilateral lung disease on High Resolution Computed Tomography scan or any psychiatric disorder that prohibits obtaining informed consent.
  4. Subjects unable to swallow orally administered medication prior to initiation of study treatment.
  5. Systemic glucocorticoids for any purpose other than to modulate symptoms from an event of clinical interest of suspected immunologic etiology

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: Single Arm
The participants will receive neoadjuvant and adjuvant pembrolizumab and olaparib combination plus standard of care (chemoradiation therapy) as defined in the protocol.
Biological: Pembrolizumab
In the induction phase, participants will receive a single intravenous infusion of pembrolizumab 400 mg prior to chemoradiotherapy. In the Maintenance Phase, participants will receive pembrolizumab 400 mg every 42 days for 8 cycles.
Other Names:
  • MK-3475
  • KEYTRUDA®
Drug: Olaparib
In the induction phase, participants will receive daily oral olaparib 150 mg two times a day for 3 weeks prior to chemoradiotherapy. In the Maintenance Phase, participants will receive daily olaparib 150 mg two times a day for up to 48 weeks.
Other Names:
  • AZD-2281
  • MK-7339
  • KU0059436
Drug: Cisplatin

In the chemoradiation phase, participants will receive weekly intravenous cisplatin infusion, 40 mg/m2 over 7 weeks.

In the chemoradiation phase, standard of care radiation therapy and chemotherapy will be administered, for a total of 7 weeks. Radiation therapy is done on daily basis (excluding weekends), and chemotherapy therapy will involve cisplatin infusion once weekly.

Other Names:
  • CDDP
  • Cis-diamminedichloridoplatinum
  • Cis-diammine-dichloroplatinum
  • Cis-platinum
Radiation: IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy)
In the chemoradiation phase, participants will receive 70 Gray external beam radiotherapy, at 2 Gray/fraction dose, 35 fractions, delivered once a day, on weekdays, using Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Treatments or proton radiotherapy techniques, over 7 weeks.

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
One Year Progression Free Survival (PFS)
Time Frame: up to 1 year from start of treatment

One Year PFS will be defined as the period from the date of treatment start until disease progression or death (whichever occurs first) up to one year. Subjects who have not had an event will be censored at the date of last disease assessment documenting the subject was free of progression. Progression will be evaluated by RECIST v1.1

RECIST v.1.1: Complete Response (CR), disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), >=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Stable Disease (SD), no response or less response than Partial or Progressive; or Progressive Disease (PD), as a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions, or a measurable increase in a non-target lesion, or the appearance of new lesions.
up to 1 year from start of treatment

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: up to 2 years from start of treatment
Overall survival will be defined as the period from the date of treatment start until death of any cause. Subjects who have not had an event will be censored at the date of last assessment documenting the subject was alive.
up to 2 years from start of treatment
Two Year Progression Free Survival (PFS)
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from start of treatment

Two Year PFS will be defined as the period from the date of treatment start until disease progression or death (whichever occurs first) up to two year. Subjects who have not had an event will be censored at the date of last disease assessment documenting the subject was free of progression. Progression will be evaluated by RECIST v1.1

RECIST v.1.1: Complete Response (CR), disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), >=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Stable Disease (SD), no response or less response than Partial or Progressive; or Progressive Disease (PD), as a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions, or a measurable increase in a non-target lesion, or the appearance of new lesions.
Up to 2 years from start of treatment
Induction therapy related delays in chemoradiation therapy
Time Frame: Up to 14 weeks from start of treatment
Induction therapy related delays in chemoradiation therapy (CRT) will be defined type and associated grade of toxicity according to National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0. criteria and days of delay to start CRT due to induction one cycle of induction pembrolizumab and olaparib.
Up to 14 weeks from start of treatment
Toxicities related to maintenance therapy
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from start of treatment

Toxicities related to maintenance therapy associated with pembrolizumab and olaparib will be classified and graded according to NCI-CTCAE v5.0.

The NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events is a descriptive terminology which can be utilized for Adverse Event (AE) reporting. A grading (severity) scale is provided for each AE term. Grade 1 Mild; asymptomatic or mild symptoms; clinical or diagnostic observations only; intervention not indicated. Grade 2 Moderate; minimal, local or noninvasive intervention indicated; limiting age-appropriate instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Grade 3 Severe or medically significant but not immediately life-threatening; hospitalization or prolongation of hospitalization indicated; disabling; limiting self care ADL. Grade 4 Life-threatening consequences; urgent intervention indicated. Grade 5 Death related to AE.
Up to 2 years from start of treatment
Induction related toxicity using patient-reported outcomes
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from start of treatment
Induction pembrolizumab and olaparib related toxicity will be defined using Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) in subjects receiving one cycle of pembrolizumab and olaparib.
Up to 2 years from start of treatment
Patient reported maintenance therapy-related toxicities
Time Frame: Up to 2 years from start of treatment
Maintenance therapy-related toxicities using patient-reported outcomes (PRO-CTCAE) in subjects who received induction pembrolizumab with olaparib, followed by definitive treatment with concurrent cisplatin-radiotherapy and maintenance pembrolizumab and olaparib.
Up to 2 years from start of treatment
One-year locoregional control
Time Frame: Up to 1 year from start of treatment
One-year locoregional control will be defined as the period from the start of treatment until recurrence at primary site or nodal site (whichever occurs first) as defined by RECIST 1.1
Up to 1 year from start of treatment
Distant Metastasis-Free Survival (DMFS)
Time Frame: Up to 1 year from start of treatment
DMFS will be defined as the period from the date of treatment start until distant metastasis or death (whichever occurs first) as defined by RECIST 1.1. Subjects who have not had an event will be censored at the date of last disease assessment documenting the subject was free of distant metastasis.
Up to 1 year from start of treatment
Correlate Combined Positive Score (CPS) and one-year progression free survival (PFS)
Time Frame: Up to 1 year
To correlate combined positive score (CPS) with one-year PFS, quality of life scores will be summarized using descriptive statistics like mean, sd, median, range, in participants who received induction pembrolizumab with olaparib, followed by definitive treatment with concurrent cisplatin-radiotherapy and maintenance pembrolizumab and olaparib.
Up to 1 year
Head and Neck Cancer Associated Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO)
Time Frame: Baseline, 4week, 7 week, 12 weeks, 6months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, 60 months

Head and Neck Cancer Associated PRO will be evaluated using European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Head and Neck Module (QLQ-H&N35).

EORTC QLQ-H&N35 has 35 questions assessing symptoms and side effects of treatment, social function and body image/sexuality. Most questions used 4 point scale (1 'Not at all' to 4 'Very much'); several single item questions were just coded as no=1, yes=2. The scores transformed and analyzed on a 0 - 100 scale. High scores indicate more problems.
Baseline, 4week, 7 week, 12 weeks, 6months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, 60 months
General Cancer Associated Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO)
Time Frame: Baseline, 4week, 7week, 12 weeks, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, 60 months

General Cancer Associated PRO will be evaluated using European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30).

The EORTC QLQ-C30 has 30 questions, 9 multi-items: 5 functional, 9 symptoms and a global health and quality-of-life. Most questions used 4-point scale (1 'Not at all' to 4 'Very much'); 2 questions used 7-point scale (1 'very poor' to 7 'Excellent'). The scores transformed and analyzed on a 0 - 100 scale. A higher score=better.
Baseline, 4week, 7week, 12 weeks, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, 60 months

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.
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

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.
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

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: Siddharth Sheth, DO MPH, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

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.
September 2, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
January 21, 2027

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.
November 21, 2030

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).
May 4, 2022

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.
May 4, 2022

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.
May 9, 2022

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.
January 28, 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.
January 26, 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.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • LCCC2047

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

No

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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