Intravenous Iron in Combination With Standard of Care Immunotherapy in Melanoma

July 3, 2025 updated by: Mateusz Opyrchal, Indiana University

Iron With Standard of Care Immunotherapy in Melanoma

Anemia is a common complication among cancer patients and is negatively associated with overall prognosis and therapeutic outcomes. The purpose of this study is to see if giving a dose of iron prior to any standard of care chemotherapy treatment will affect the cells that are believed to make treating melanoma harder, making melanoma more responsive to the standard of care immunotherapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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Withdrawn

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 is a pilot single arm, non-randomized study involving adult patients with melanoma receiving standard of care treatment with hemoglobin levels less than 13 g/dl, ferritin levels below 100 ng/ml, and transferrin saturations of less than 30%.

Cancer-associated anemia remains an underestimated and inadequately treated chronic condition that adversely affects the quality of life and overall prognosis in cancer patients. The correction of anemia in cancer patients would be a clinically applicable strategy to prevent and/or mitigate the expansion of tumor promoting erythroid progenitor cells (EPCs). Iron is an essential functional component of erythrocyte hemoglobin and is a crucial regulator of erythropoiesis. Strategies to therapeutically target the immunosuppressive machinery have emerged as a promising approach for cancer treatment. By promoting EPCs differentiation/maturation in anemic melanoma patients, immunosuppression could be mitigated and the therapeutic activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors enhanced.

A dose of intravenous iron will be given one week prior to standard of care chemotherapy and antibodies CD71 and CD235a will be used to detect EPCs in circulation and tumor microenvironment.

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

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.
  • Name: Anne Younger, RN
  • Phone Number: (317) 274-0951
  • Email: anefoste@iu.edu

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Indiana
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
        • Recruiting
        • Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
        • Contact:
          • Mateusz Opyrchal, MD
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
          • Mateusz Opyrchal, MD, PhD
          • Phone Number: (317) 278-8845
          • Email: mopyrch@iu.edu

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. ≥ 18 years old adults at the time of informed consent
  2. Ability to provide written informed consent and HIPAA authorization
  3. Biopsy confirmed melanoma
  4. Eligible for standard of care treatment
  5. Plan to undergo immunotherapy in neoadjuvant or metastatic setting
  6. ECOG performance status 0-2
  7. Anemia defined as hemoglobin < 13 g/dl in addition to ferritin < 100 ng/ml and/or transferrin saturation < 30%

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. History of anaphylactic reaction to intravenous iron or any proposed standard of care treatments
  2. Diagnosis of hemoglobinopathies
  3. Therapeutic Iron supplementation in the past 3 months (oral iron as part of MVI allowed)
  4. Diagnosis of hemochromatosis
  5. Symptomatic brain metastases that require local treatment (brain metastasis which will be treated with systemic immunotherapy or treated metastasis with without need for steroids for symptomatic management are eligible).
  6. Pregnant or lactating female adults
  7. Active infections which in research teams' opinion increases risk for toxicities
  8. Any condition that in the opinion of PI may interfere with patient being able to complete the required procedures.

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: Iron dextran 1000 mg IV
Iron dextran 1000 mg IV will be administered once, about 7 days prior to standard of care treatment.
Drug: Iron dextran 1000 mg IV
Iron dextran 1000 mg IV will be administered once, about 7 days prior to standard of care treatment.

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
Erythroid progenitor cells (EPCs) detection in patient's blood
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 week post iron infusion, 21 days post iron infusion
Whether the erythroid progenitor cells (EPCs) can be detected at baseline in patient's blood in 3 out of 5 evaluable patients
Baseline, 1 week post iron infusion, 21 days post iron infusion

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
Iron dose tolerance
Time Frame: baseline
At least 50% of patients consented successfully receive >50% of planned iron infusion
baseline

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.
Indiana University

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: Mateusz Oprychal, MD, PhD, Indiana 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 (Estimated)

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.
May 1, 2025

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.
June 1, 2026

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.
June 1, 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).
July 15, 2024

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.
July 15, 2024

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.
July 18, 2024

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.
July 9, 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 3, 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.
June 1, 2025

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.
  • CTO-IUSCCC-0854

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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