Intrathecal Combination of Programmed Death-1 (PD-1)/Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte-Associated Protein 4 (CTLA-4) Bispecific Antibody and Pemetrexed for Leptomeningeal Metastasis

August 31, 2026 updated by: Zhenyu Pan, Guangzhou Medical University

Intrathecal Administration of PD-1/CTLA-4 Bispecific Antibody Plus Pemetrexed in Patients With Leptomeningeal Metastasis From Solid Tumors: A Phase I/II Study

Leptomeningeal metastasis, characterized by tumor cells infiltrating and proliferating in the subarachnoid space, represents a distinct pattern of central nervous system involvement and is a fatal complication of malignant tumors. This phase I/II study is to evaluate the recommended dose, safety, feasibility, and therapeutic response of intrathecal Programmed Death-1 (PD-1)/Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte-Associated Protein 4 (CTLA-4) bispecific antibodies combined with pemetrexed in patients with leptomeningeal metastasis.

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

Leptomeningeal metastasis is a severe complication of advanced cancer, traditionally managed with intrathecal chemotherapy. Recently, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment for solid tumors. The preliminary results from our previous study on PD-1 combined with pemetrexed intrathecal administration showed safety and feasibility for leptomeningeal metastasis from solid tumors with potential activity. Currently, a clinical trial in Switzerland is evaluating the efficacy of dual immunotherapy (PD-1 plus CTLA-4 inhibitors) administered intrathecally for leptomeningeal metastasis. Cadonilimab, the world's first PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody, has shown favorable safety and efficacy in clinical practice, further supporting its potential in this setting. The primary objectives are to determine the recommended dose of intrathecal cadonilimab in combination with pemetrexed and to assess safety based on the incidence of treatment-related adverse events. Clinical response rate, disease control rate, and overall survival are also evaluated. Patients undergo cerebrospinal fluid and blood specimen collection to evaluate potential clinical, molecular, and/or immune predictors of treatment efficacy and safety.

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.
36

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.
  • Name: Zhenyu Pan, PhD, MD
  • Phone Number: +8618718178286
  • Email: dr-zypan@163.com

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • China
      • Beijing, China, 101100
        • Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University
      • Shanghai, China
        • Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University
    • Guangdong
      • Huizhou, Guangdong, China, 516000
        • The Affiliated Huizhou Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University

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. Histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of solid tumors; Cerebrospinal fluid cytopathology is positive.
  2. Male or female aged between 21 and 75 years; Normal liver and kidney function; WBC≥4000/mm3, Plt≥100000/mm3.
  3. No history of severe nervous system disease; No severe dyscrasia.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Any evidence of nervous system failure, including severe encephalopathy, grade 3 or 4 leukoencephalopathy on imaging, and Glasgow Coma Score less than 11.
  2. Any evidence of extensive and lethal progressive systemic diseases without effective treatment.
  3. A history of HIV or AIDS, acute or chronic hepatitis B or C infection, previous anti-PD1 therapy-induced pneumonitis, or have ongoing >Grade 2 adverse events of such therapy; or ongoing autoimmune disease that required systemic treatment in the past 2 years.
  4. The first month to treatment, as well as during induction and consolidation therapy, new drugs effective against leptomeningeal metastases were used, excluding those previously administered. These primarily included small molecule targeted therapies, such as EGFR-TKI/ALK-TKI drugs like Osimertinib and Lorlatinib.
  5. Patients with poor compliance or other reasons that were unsuitable for this study.

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: PD-1/CTLA-4 Bispecific Antibody with Pemetrexed
This study is a prospective, single-arm, Phase I/II clinical trial. The primary objective is to determine the recommended Phase II dose (RP2D) for the intrathecal combination of PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody with pemetrexed and and safety based on the incidence of treatment-related adverse events. Clinical response rate (CRR), disease control rate (DCR) and overall survival (OS) are also evaluated. Patients will have cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood specimen collection for the evaluation of predictors (clinical, molecular, and/or immune) of the efficacy and safety of this regimen.
Drug: Cadonilimab (AK104)
Intrathecal injection of PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody was administered every two weeks for six weeks during the induction phase, followed by monthly injections during the maintenance phase, until recurrence or death.
Drug: Pemetrexed (Alimta)
Pemetrexed was administrated by intrathecal injection, first as induction therapy, twice per week for 2 weeks, followed by consolidation therapy, once per week for 4 weeks, then maintenance therapy, once per month until the patient's death, leptomeningeal metastasis progresses, or intolerable severe adverse events occurred.

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
Incidence of treatment-related adverse events
Time Frame: From date of treatment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 6 months
The incidence of treatment-related adverse events were measured for determining tolerability and safety. Adverse events (AEs) are evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). Events of grade 3-5 are defined as moderate and severe adverse events
From date of treatment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 6 months
Recommended Phase II Dose (RP2D)
Time Frame: Dose limiting toxicity was assessed during the first 6 weeks after the first intrathecal administration.
The recommended phase II dose. The dose limiting toxicity was defined as ≥ grade 3 neurological toxicities (e.g., meningitis) or other grade 4 toxicity.
Dose limiting toxicity was assessed during the first 6 weeks after the first intrathecal administration.

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
Neurological progression-free survival (NPFS)
Time Frame: From date of treatment until the date of first documented neurological progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 6 months
NPFS was defined as time from the start of treatment until neurological progression or death (covering both leptomeningeal and parenchymal lesions).
From date of treatment until the date of first documented neurological progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 6 months
Progression-free survival related to leptomeningeal metastasis (LMPFS)
Time Frame: From date of treatment until the date of first documented leptomeningeal metastasis progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 6 months
LMPFS was defined as time from the start of treatment until leptomeningeal metastasis progression or death. The leptomeningeal metastasis progression was determined based on the RANO proposal evaluation criteria which have been established and published on Neuro Oncol.
From date of treatment until the date of first documented leptomeningeal metastasis progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 6 months
Overall survival(OS)
Time Frame: From the enrollment of this study until date of death from any cause, whichever came first, or the last follow-up (at least 6 months)
Overall survival was recorded since the date of patient enrollment. All patients were followed up until death or the end of the study.
From the enrollment of this study until date of death from any cause, whichever came first, or the last follow-up (at least 6 months)

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinical response rate
Time Frame: Time Frame: From date of treatment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 6 months
The response assessment in neuro-oncology criteria (RANO) proposal for response criteria of leptomeningeal metastasis was used to assess the clinical response in this study.
Time Frame: From date of treatment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 6 months
Overall survival(OS)
Time Frame: From the enrollment of this study until date of death from any cause, whichever came first, or the last follow-up (at least 6 months)
Overall survival was recorded since the date of patient enrollment. All patients were followed up until death or the end of the study.
From the enrollment of this study until date of death from any cause, whichever came first, or the last follow-up (at least 6 months)
Disease control rate (DCR)
Time Frame: From date of treatment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 6 months.
Disease control rate was defined as proportion of patients achieving clinical response or stable disease. Clinical response and stable disease were determined based on the RANO proposal evaluation criteria which have been established and published on Neuro Oncol.
From date of treatment until the date of first documented progression or date of death from any cause, whichever came first, assessed up to 6 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.
Guangzhou Medical 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.
Jinshan Hospital Fudan 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: Zhenyu Pan, PhD, MD, Jinshan Hospital Fudan University

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.

General Publications

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.
March 7, 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.
September 30, 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.
September 30, 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).
January 1, 2025

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.
January 1, 2025

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.
January 7, 2025

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.
September 2, 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.
August 31, 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.
July 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.
  • IMPACT

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

No

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.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings