Testing the PD-1 Inhibitor Pembrolizumab as Maintenance Therapy After Initial Chemotherapy in Metastatic Bladder Cancer

A Randomized, Double-blinded, Phase II Study of Maintenance Pembrolizumab Versus Placebo After First-Line Chemotherapy in Patients With Metastatic Urothelial Cancer: Hoosier Cancer Research Network GU14-182

This is a multi-institutional, randomized, placebo controlled, double-blinded phase II trial of maintenance pembrolizumab versus placebo after first-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer who have achieved at least stable disease on first-line chemotherapy.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Bladder Cancer; Urothelial Carcinoma
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Placebo; Drug: Pembrolizumab

Detailed Description

OUTLINE: This is a multi-center trial.

Eligible subjects will be 1:1 randomized to placebo (Control Arm A) and pembrolizumab (Experimental Arm B). Stratification factors for randomization: presence of visceral metastatic disease (lung, liver, or bone or other organs vs. lymph node only) at the time of initiation of first-line chemotherapy, and response to first-line chemotherapy (CR/PR vs. SD. Subjects who progress on placebo will be assessed to determine if they are eligible to cross over to unblinded treatment with pembrolizumab.

INVESTIGATIONAL TREATMENT:

For Control Arm A, commercially available normal saline will be used as the placebo. No active placebo drug will be mixed with the normal saline.

For Experimental Arm B, pembrolizumab (or placebo), 200 mg intravenous infusion (IV) every 3 weeks for up to 12 months, or until progressive disease (PD) or unacceptable toxicity.

The following required laboratory values must be obtained within fourteen days prior to registration for protocol therapy:

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1,500 /mcL
• Platelets ≥100,000 / mcL
• Hemoglobin ≥8.5 g/dL

Renal:

• Creatinine ≤1.5x ULN OR
• Measured or calculated creatinine clearance ≥30 mL/min for subject with creatinine levels >1.5x institutional ULN
• GFR can also be used in place of creatinine or CrCl

Hepatic:

• Serum total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 X ULN OR
• Direct bilirubin ≤ ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels > 1.5 ULN
• AST (SGOT) and ALT (SGPT) ≤ 2.5 X ULN OR ≤ 5 X ULN for subject with liver metastases

Coagulation:

• International Normalized Ratio (INR) or Prothrombin Time (PT) ≤1.5 X ULN. If subject is on anticoagulant therapy, PT or PTT must be within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 108
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arizona
    • Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85004
      • University of Arizona at Dignity Health St. Joseph's
  • California
    • Duarte, California, United States, 91010
      • City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90033
      • University of Southern California
  • District of Columbia
    • Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 20057
      • Georgetown University
  • Florida
    • Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32610
      • University of Florida
  • Indiana
    • Goshen, Indiana, United States, 46526
      • IU Health Goshen Center for Cancer Care
    • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
      • Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center
    • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46219
      • IU Health Central Indiana Cancer Center
    • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46256
      • Community Regional Cancer Care
    • Munster, Indiana, United States, 46321
      • Community Healthcare System
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201
      • University of Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21231
      • Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
  • Michigan
    • Detroit, Michigan, United States, 48202
      • Henry Ford Health System
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455
      • University of Minnesota
  • Missouri
    • Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
      • Washington University: Siteman Cancer Center
  • Nebraska
    • Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68130
      • GU Cancer Research Network, LLC
  • New Jersey
    • Hackensack, New Jersey, United States, 07601
      • The John Theuer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center
  • New Mexico
    • Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, 87106
      • University of New Mexico Cancer Center
  • New York
    • Buffalo, New York, United States, 14263
      • Roswell Park Cancer Institute
    • New York, New York, United States, 10029
      • Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center
    • Rochester, New York, United States, 14642
      • University of Rochester Medical Center
  • North Carolina
    • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27514
      • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Ohio
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19111
      • Fox Chase Cancer Center
  • South Carolina
    • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425
      • Medical University of South Carolina
  • Tennessee
    • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232
      • Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
  • Utah
    • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84112
      • Huntsman Cancer Institute University of Utah
  • Virginia
    • Norfolk, Virginia, United States, 23502
      • Virginia Oncology Associates

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Written informed consent and HIPAA authorization for release of personal health information. NOTE: HIPAA authorization may be included in the informed consent or obtained separately.
• Age ≥ 18 years at the time of consent.
• ECOG Performance Status (PS) of ≤ 1 within fourteen days of registration for protocol therapy.
• Histological or cytological evidence of urothelial cancer of the bladder, urethra, ureter, or renal pelvis. Differentiation with variant histologies (e.g., squamous cell differentiated) will be permitted provided that the predominant histology is urothelial carcinoma.
• Metastatic and/or unresectable (cT4b) disease
• Must have achieved an objective response (CR/PR) or stable disease (SD) after 4 to 6 cycles of standard first-line platinum-based chemotherapy for mUC (e.g., as per NCCN guidelines). Able to commence study treatment within 2 to 6 weeks of receiving last dose of first-line chemotherapy.
• All subjects must have adequate archival tissue available prior to registration (i.e., at least 20 unstained slides or paraffin block). If acceptable archival tissue is not available, the subject must be willing to consent to providing a core or excisional biopsy for research prior to registration for protocol therapy. If archival tissue is not available and there are no sites amenable to biopsy, enrollment must be discussed with the sponsor-investigator on a case by case basis.
• Female subjects of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy within three days prior to registration for protocol therapy
• Sexually active, pre-menopausal women of childbearing potential must be willing to use an adequate method of contraception or be surgically sterile, or abstain from heterosexual activity for the course of the study through 120 days after the last dose of study drug. Subjects of childbearing potential are those who have not been surgically sterilized or have not been free from menses for > one year.
• Male subjects of childbearing potential must agree to use an adequate method of contraception starting with the first dose of study drug through 120 days after the last dose of study drug.

Exclusion Criteria:

• More than one line of prior chemotherapy for metastatic or locally advanced disease, with the following exception:

  • Prior neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy will not count as line of therapy if completed greater than 12 months prior to initiation of chemotherapy regimen for metastatic or unresectable disease.
• Current or past participation in a study of an investigational agent or using an investigational device within four weeks of registration for protocol therapy.
• A diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving treatment with systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within seven days prior to registration for protocol therapy.
• Prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within two weeks prior to registration for protocol therapy. Note: If the subjects have undergone major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting protocol therapy.
• A known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment. Exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or in situ cervical cancer that has undergone potentially curative therapy.
• A known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. Subjects with previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they are stable (without evidence of progression by imaging for at least four weeks prior to registration for protocol therapy and any neurologic symptoms have returned to baseline), have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases, and are not using steroids for at least seven days prior to registration for protocol therapy.
• Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in past 2 years (i.e. with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs). Replacement therapy (eg., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment.
• Has evidence of active, non-infectious pneumonitis.
• Has a history of interstitial lung disease.
• An active infection requiring systemic therapy.
• A history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the trial, or is not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the treating Investigator.
• Known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial.
• Is pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the screening period through 120 days after the last dose of protocol therapy.
• Prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2, anti-CD137, or anti-Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) antibody (including ipilimumab or any other antibody or drug specifically targeting T-cell co-stimulation or checkpoint pathways). Examples include nivolumab, MPDL3280, etc.
• A known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies).
• A known active Hepatitis B (e.g., HBsAg reactive) or Hepatitis C (e.g., HCV RNA [qualitative] is detected).
• Receipt of a live vaccine within 30 days prior to registration for protocol therapy.
• Unresolved toxicity (i.e., > Grade 1 or above baseline) due to previously administered agents. Exception includes: subjects with ≤ Grade 2 neuropathy are eligible for the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: QUADRUPLE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Control Arm A; Commercially available normal saline will be used as the placebo. No active placebo drug will be mixed with the normal saline. Treatment will continue, in the absence of prohibitive toxicities or disease progression, for up to 24 months.	Other: Placebo; Normal saline
Experimental: Experimental Arm B; Pembrolizumab, 200mg IV every 3 weeks. Treatment will continue, in the absence of prohibitive toxicities or disease progression, for up to 24 months.	Drug: Pembrolizumab; Pembrolizumab, 200mg IV every 3 weeks until progressive disease, unacceptable toxicity, or for up to 24 months

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Progression-free Survival (PFS)	Measured at the time from randomization to death or progression, depending on which occurs first, as per immune-related RECIST (irRECIST). Progression is defined using Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.0), 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	Calculated after a median follow-up time of 12.9 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
6-month PFS as Per irRECIST	Probability that subjects remain alive and progression free at 6 months post randomization per irRECIST criteria. Progression is defined using Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.0), 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.	Six months after randomization
Number of Subjects With Adverse Events as a Measure of the Safety and Tolerability of Pembrolizumab	Percentage of subjects with treatment-emergent grade 3-4 toxicities, as per Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v 4.0	Every 3 weeks beginning with C1D1 for up to 24 months
Objective Response Rate (ORR) Assessment of Subjects on Maintenance Pembrolizumab vs Placebo	The objective response rate is the percentage of all subjects with confirmed PR or CR according to RECIST, from the start of treatment until disease progression/recurrence (taking as reference for progressive disease the smallest measurements recorded since the start of treatment) Complete Response per RECIST 1.1 is defined as the disappearance of all target and non-target lesions and the reduction in size of any pathologic lymph nodes to <10mm in the absence of the appearance of any new lesions. Partial Response per RECIST 1.1 is defined by at least a 30% decrease in the sum of the diameters of target lesions when compared to baseline, no equivocal progression of non-target disease and no appearance of new lesions.	Response assessed every 12 weeks from the date of randomization to the date of documented disease progression or date of death, whichever occurs first, assessed for up to a maximum of 104 weeks (24 months)
ORR Assessment of Subjects Receiving Pembrolizumab After Progressing on Placebo	The objective response rate is the percentage of all subjects with confirmed PR or CR according to RECIST, from the start of treatment until disease progression/recurrence (taking as reference for progressive disease the smallest measurements recorded since the start of treatment) Complete Response per RECIST 1.1 is defined as the disappearance of all target and non-target lesions and the reduction in size of any pathologic lymph nodes to <10mm in the absence of the appearance of any new lesions. Partial Response per RECIST 1.1 is defined by at least a 30% decrease in the sum of the diameters of target lesions when compared to baseline, no equivocal progression of non-target disease and no appearance of new lesions.	Every 12 weeks from the first treatment on the crossover to the date of documented disease progression, per irRECIST 1.1, assessed for up to a maximum of 104 weeks (24 months)
Median Overall Survival (OS) Time in Subjects Treated With Pembrolizumab vs Placebo	Median time from randomization until death from any cause in subjects treated with pembrolizumab vs placebo.	From randomization until death from any cause. Reported after a median follow-up of 12.9 months.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Matthew Galsky
• Collaborators: Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC; Hoosier Cancer Research Network

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Galsky MD, Mortazavi A, Milowsky MI, George S, Gupta S, Fleming MT, Dang LH, Geynisman DM, Walling R, Alter RS, Kassar M, Wang J, Gupta S, Davis N, Picus J, Philips G, Quinn DI, Haines GK 3rd, Hahn NM, Zhao Q, Yu M, Pal SK. Randomized Double-Blind Phase II Study of Maintenance Pembrolizumab Versus Placebo After First-Line Chemotherapy in Patients With Metastatic Urothelial Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2020 Jun 1;38(16):1797-1806. doi: 10.1200/JCO.19.03091. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

Helpful Links

• Hoosier Cancer Research Network Website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 11, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 8, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 15, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): July 16, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 30, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 16, 2022
• Last Verified: September 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pembrolizumab; PD-1 Inhibitor
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Urologic Neoplasms; Urogenital Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Urologic Diseases; Urinary Bladder Diseases; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms; Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological; Pembrolizumab
• Other Study ID Numbers: HCRN GU14-182

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO