Unresectable Stage IIIA/IIIB Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Phase II Study of Consolidation Immunotherapy With Nivolumab and Ipilimumab or Nivolumab Alone Following Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Unresectable Stage IIIA/IIIB Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): BTCRC-LUN16-081

This study is an open label, multicenter, randomized phase II trial of consolidation immunotherapy with either nivolumab alone or the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab following concurrent chemoradiation in patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Nivolumab; Drug: Ipilimumab; Drug: Nivolumab

Detailed Description

Patients with unresectable stage IIIA or IIIB NSCLC (unresectable as defined by treating physician) will be treated outside this study with concurrent chemoradiation with one of three chemotherapy regimens (cisplatin/etoposide, cisplatin/pemetrexed, or weekly carboplatin/paclitaxel) in addition to standard dose radiation (dosing can range from 59.4 Gy to 66.6 Gy). If repeat imaging between 28-56 days following completion of chemoradiation shows no progressive or metastatic disease, the patients will be eligible for enrollment on the study.

Randomization and Stratification:

At the time of enrollment, patients will be randomized in a 1:1 fashion to receive either nivolumab 480mg IV every 4 weeks or the combination of nivolumab 3mg/kg IV every 2 weeks with ipilimumab 1mg/kg IV every 6 weeks. Consolidation immunotherapy will be continued until progression or unacceptable toxicity for up to a total of 24 weeks.

Subjects will be stratified by stage (IIIA vs. IIIB) and histology (squamous vs. non-squamous).

Dose Calculations:

Arm 1: The dose of nivolumab will be a fixed dose (not based on subject's weight) at 480mg.

Arm 2: The dose of nivolumab will be weight-based at 3mg/kg. The dose of ipilimumab will be weight-based at 1mg/kg.

Nivolumab Alone (Arm 1):

Arm 1: Nivolumab Administration:

Nivolumab 480 mg will be administered as a 60 minute IV infusion on Day 1 of each 28 day cycle. Sites should make every effort to target infusion timing to be as close to 60 minutes as possible. However, given the variability of infusion pumps from site to site, a window of -five minutes and +10 minutes is permitted (i.e., infusion time is 60 minutes: -5 min/+10 min). Treatment will continue for up to 6 cycles, in the absence of prohibitive toxicities or disease progression.

Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab (Arm 2):

Arm 2: Nivolumb Administration:

Nivolumab 3mg/kg will be administered as a 60 minute IV infusion on Day 1, 15, and 29 of each 42 day cycle. Nivolumab should not be given any earlier than 12 days from the previous dose. Sites should make every effort to target infusion timing to be as close to 60 minutes as possible. However, given the variability of infusion pumps from site to site, a window of -five minutes and +10 minutes is permitted (i.e., infusion time is 60 minutes: -5 min/+10 min). Treatment will continue for up to 4 cycles, in the absence of prohibitive toxicities or disease progression.

Arm 2: Ipilimumab Administration:

Ipilimumab 1mg/kg will be administered as a 90 minute IV infusion on Day 1 of each 42 day cycle. Sites should make every effort to target infusion timing to be as close to 90 minutes as possible. However, given the variability of infusion pumps from site to site, a window of -five minutes and +10 minutes is permitted (i.e., infusion time is 60 minutes: -5 min/+10 min). Treatment will continue for up to 4 cycles, in the absence of prohibitive toxicities or disease progression.

On day 1 of cycle 1, nivolumab will be given first, followed by 30 minutes of monitoring, and then ipilimumab given second, followed by 30 minutes of monitoring. If the subject does not have an infusion reaction during the first cycle, the post-ipilimumab monitoring may be discontinued for subsequent cycles at the discretion of the treating physician. Day 1 monitoring between the nivolumab/ipilimumab infusions will continue throughout all 4 cycles. Post nivolumab monitoring on days 15 and 29 is not mandatory and should follow the guidelines of the local infusion center.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 105
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
      • Rush University Medical Center
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
      • University of Illinois Cancer Center
  • Indiana
    • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
      • Indiana University
  • Kentucky
    • Louisville, Kentucky, United States, 40202
      • University of Louisville James Graham Brown Cancer Center
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
      • Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive
  • Michigan
    • Detroit, Michigan, United States, 48201
      • Karmanos Cancer Center (Wayne State University)
    • Lansing, Michigan, United States, 48910
      • Michigan State University
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455
      • University of Minnesota
  • Nebraska
    • Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68198
      • University of Nebraska Medical Center
  • New Jersey
    • New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, 08903
      • Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
    • Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, 17033
      • Penn State Cancer Institute
  • Wisconsin
    • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53705
      • University of Wisconsin

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Subject must meet all of the following applicable inclusion criteria to participate in this study:

• Written informed consent and HIPAA authorization for release of personal health information.
• Age ≥ 18 years at the time of consent.
• ECOG Performance Status of 0 or 1 within 14 days prior to registration.
• Histological or cytological confirmation of NSCLC. A pathology report confirming the diagnosis of NSCLC must be obtained and reviewed by the treating physician prior to registration to study.
• Must have unresectable or inoperable stage IIIA or IIIB disease according to the 7th edition IASLC stage classification for lung cancer. Subjects must be considered unresectable or inoperable based on the judgment of the treating physician.
• Subjects must have completed concurrent chemoradiation with a platinum doublet and a dose of radiation ranging from 59.4-66.6 Gy. Subjects must have stable disease or disease response as evidenced on CT or PET scan evaluation. For those eligible, protocol therapy should begin within 56 days of completing chemoradiation OR Subjects must have completed up to 2 cycles of consolidation therapy started within 56 days of completion of radiation. After completion of consolidation chemotherapy, subjects must have stable disease or disease response as evidenced by CT or PET scan evaluation. For those eligible, protocol therapy should begin within 56 days after the last cycle of chemotherapy.
• Prior cancer treatment must be completed between 1-56 days prior to registration and the subject must have recovered from all reversible acute toxic effects of the regimen (other than alopecia) to ≤Grade 1 or baseline.
• Demonstrate adequate organ function, all screening labs to be obtained within 14 days prior to registration:

Hematological:

• Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 K/mm^3
• Hemoglobin (Hgb) ≥ 9 g/dL
• Platelets ≥100,000/mcl

Renal:

• Serum creatinine OR Measured or calculated creatinine clearance (GFR can also be used in place of creatinine or CrCl) ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) OR ≥ 60 mL/min for subjects with creatinine levels >1.5 x institutional ULN

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × ULN OR Direct bilirubin of ≤ ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels of >1.5x ULN
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 2.5 × ULN
• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.5 × ULN

Coagulation:

• International Normalized Ratio (INR) or Prothrombin Time (PT) Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) ≤1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT/INR/PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants

  • Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test (minimum sensitivity 25 IU/L or equivalent units of HCG) within 7 days prior to registration. NOTE: Women are considered of childbearing potential unless they are surgically sterile (have undergone a hysterectomy, bilateral tubal ligation, or bilateral oophorectomy) or are post-menopausal. Menopause is defined clinically as 12 months of amenorrhea in a woman over 45 in the absence of other biological or physiological causes. In addition, women under the age of 62 must have a documented serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level less than 40 mIU/mL to be considered post-menopausal.
  • Women of childbearing potential must be willing to abstain from heterosexual activity or use an effective method of contraception from the time of informed consent until 23 weeks after treatment discontinuation.
  • Men who are sexually active with women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) must use any contraceptive method with a failure rate of less than 1% per year. Men receiving study drug and who are sexually active with WOCBP will be instructed to adhere to contraception for a period of 31 weeks after the last dose of investigational product.
  • As determined by the enrolling physician or protocol designee, ability of the subject to understand and comply with study procedures for the entire length of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects meeting any of the criteria below may not participate in the study:

• Pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 23 weeks (female) or 31 weeks (male) after the last dose of trial treatment.
• Active central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Subjects must undergo a head computed tomography (CT) scan or brain MRI within 28 days prior to registration for protocol therapy to exclude brain metastases if symptomatic or without prior brain imaging.
• Treatment with any investigational agent within 28 days prior to registration for protocol therapy.
• Prior chemotherapy, adjuvant therapy, or radiotherapy for lung cancer other than standard concurrent chemoradiation or up to 2 cycles of consolidation.
• Prior therapy with a PD-1, PD-L1, PD-L2 or CTLA-4 inhibitor or a lung cancer-specific vaccine therapy.
• Presence of metastatic disease (stage IV NSCLC) is not allowed. Subjects must be evaluated with a CT or PET scan prior to registration for protocol therapy to exclude metastatic disease.
• Active second cancers.
• Evidence of active autoimmune disease requiring systemic treatment within the past 90 days or a documented history of clinically severe autoimmune disease, or a syndrome that requires systemic steroids or immunosuppressive agents. Subjects with vitiligo or resolved childhood asthma/atopy would be an exception to this rule. Subjects that require intermittent use of bronchodilators or local steroid injections would not be excluded from the study. Subjects with hypothyroidism stable on hormone replacement or Sjogren's syndrome will not be excluded from the study.
• Interstitial lung disease or history of pneumonitis requiring treatment with corticosteroids.
• Diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving chronic systemic corticosteroid therapy or other immunosuppressive therapy (excludes inhaled corticosteroids) within 7 days of first dose of study drug.
• History of psychiatric illness or social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
• Clinically active infection as judged by the site investigator (≥ Grade 2 by CTCAE v4).
• History of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or chronic hepatitis B or C.
• Has 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 site investigator.
• Has a known history of active TB (Bacillus Tuberculosis).
• Hypersensitivity to nivolumab, ipilimumab, or any of their excipients.
• Has received a live vaccine within 30 days prior to planned start of study therapy. Note: Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally inactivated flu vaccines and are allowed; however, intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., Flu-Mist®) are live attenuated vaccines, and are not allowed.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm 1; Nivolumab 480mg IV every 4 weeks for up to 6 cycles	Drug: Nivolumab; 240mg; Other Names: OPDIVO; Drug: Nivolumab; 480mg; Other Names: OPDIVO
Experimental: Arm 2; Nivolumab 240mg IV every 2 weeks PLUS Ipilimumab 1mg/kg IV every 6 weeks for up to 4 cycles (12 doses Nivolumab and 4 doses of Ipilimumab)	Drug: Nivolumab; 240mg; Other Names: OPDIVO; Drug: Ipilimumab; 1mg/kg; Other Names: Yervoy; Drug: Nivolumab; 480mg; Other Names: OPDIVO

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Progression Free Survival (PFS) at 18-month	Per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors Criteria (RECIST v1.1) for target lesions and assessed by MRI: Complete Response (CR), Disappearance of all target lesions; Partial Response (PR), >=30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; Progressive Disease (PD) >= 20% increase in tumor burden relative to nadir or the appearance of one or more new lesions; Stable Disease (SD), not meet criteria for CR/PR/PD. PFS is defined as the time from randomization until the criteria for disease progression is met as defined by RECIST 1.1 or death as a result of any cause.	18 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Overall Survival (OS)	Overall survival is defined as the time from randomization until death from any cause.	4 years
Time to Metastatic Disease (TTMD) at 36 Month	TTMD is defined as the time from randomization until evidence of disease outside of the radiated field. The estimate of TTMD at 36 month with 95% confidence interval are reported in the outcome measure data.	36 Months
Number of Participants With Adverse Events	Adverse events will be assessed to the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.	Up to 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Greg Durm, MD
• Collaborators: Bristol-Myers Squibb; Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium
• Investigators: Study Chair: Greg Durm, M.D., Indiana University Health Simon Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 15, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 13, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): February 6, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 14, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 14, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): September 18, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 30, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: immunotherapy; Nivolumab; Ipilimumab
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms; Thoracic Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Bronchogenic; Bronchial Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Proteins; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antibodies; Immunoglobulins; Immunoproteins; Blood Proteins; Serum Globulins; Globulins; Nivolumab; Ipilimumab
• Other Study ID Numbers: BTCRC-LUN16-081

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No