Study of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Children and Young Adults With INI1-Negative Cancers

Phase 2 Proof of Concept Study of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Children and Young Adults With Relapsed or Refractory INI1-negative Cancers

This clinical trial is studying two immunotherapy drugs (nivolumab and ipilimumab) given together as a possible treatment for INI1-negative tumors.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Epithelioid Sarcoma; Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor; Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor; Rhabdoid Tumor of the Kidney; Chordoma (Poorly Differentiated or De-differentiated); Other INI1 Negative Tumors (With PI Approval); Other SMARCA4-deficient Malignant Tumors (With PI Approval)
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Nivolumab; Drug: Ipilimumab

Detailed Description

This research study is a Phase II clinical trial, which tests the safety and effectiveness of an investigational drug or drug combination to learn whether the drug or drug combination works in treating a specific disease. "Investigational" means that the drug combination is being studied.

The names of the study drugs involved in this study are:

• Nivolumab (OPDIVO)
• Ipilimumab (YERYOY)

This trial is studying whether nivolumab and ipilimumab work to treat INI1-negative cancers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved combination nivolumab and ipilimumab for the specific diseases in this study but it has been approved for other diseases. Nivolumab and ipilimumab have been tested in children to find out a safe dose of this combination.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 45
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • San Francisco, California, United States, 94158
      • UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30322
      • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta-Egleston
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30342
      • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta-Scottish Rite
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
      • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
      • Massachusetts General Hospital
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
      • Boston Children's Hospital
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Texas Children's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 6 months to 40 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• All participants must have one of the following histologically confirmed tumors at original diagnosis or relapse:

  • Stratum 1

    • Malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT)
    • Rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (RTK)
    • Epithelioid sarcoma
    • Chordoma (poorly differentiated or de-differentiated)
    • Other INI1-negative or SMARCA4-deficient malignant tumors (with PI approval)

  • Stratum 2

    • Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT)
    • Other INI1-negative or SMARCA4-deficient primary CNS malignant tumors (with PI approval)

• All participants must have tumor assessment at original diagnosis or relapse showing the following:

  • Loss of INI1 confirmed by immunohistochemistry (IHC), OR
  • Molecular confirmation of tumor bi-allelic SMARCB1 (INI1) loss or mutation when INI1 IHC is equivocal or unavailable
  • Loss of SMARCA4 confirmed by IHC or molecular confirmation of tumor bi-allelic SMARCA4 loss or mutation when SMARCA4 is equivocal or unavailable
• Relapsed or refractory disease and no standard treatment options as determined by locally or regionally available standards of care and treating physician's discretion
• Measurable disease as defined by RECIST v1.1 (Stratum 1) or RANO criteria (Stratum 2)
• Karnofsky performance status ≥ 50% for participants ≥16 years of age and Lansky performance status ≥ 50% for participants <16 years of age

• Participants must have fully recovered from the acute toxic effects of all prior anti-cancer therapy. Participants must meet the following minimum washout periods prior to first day of study treatment:

  • Myelosuppressive chemotherapy: At least 14 days after the last dose of myelosuppressive chemotherapy

  • Radiotherapy

    • At least 14 days after local palliative XRT (small port)
    • At least 90 days must have elapsed after prior TBI, craniospinal XRT or if >50% radiation of pelvis
    • At least 42 days must have elapsed if other substantial BM radiation
    • At least 42 days must have passed since last radionuclide therapy (e.g. samarium or radium)
  • Small molecule biologic therapy: At least 7 days following the last dose of a nonmonoclonal biologic agent
  • Monoclonal antibody: At least 21 days after the last dose
  • Myeloid growth factors: At least 14 days following the last dose of long-acting growth factor (e.g. Neulasta) or 7 days following short-acting growth factor
  • Stem Cell or Autologous T Cell Infusion: At least 42 days must have elapsed after stem cell or autologous T cell infusion

• Participants must have adequate organ function as defined below

  • Bone Marrow Function

    • Absolute neutrophil count ≥500/uL
    • Platelets ≥50,000/uL and transfusion independent

  • Hepatic Function

    • Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal for age
    • ALT (SGPT) ≤ 3 x upper limit of normal

  • Renal function

    • A serum creatinine within protocol limits based on age/sex. OR
    • Creatinine clearance ≥ 70 mL/min/1.73 m2 for participants with creatinine levels above institutional normal
  • Adequate Pulmonary Function Defined as: no evidence of dyspnea at rest, no exercise intolerance due to pulmonary insufficient and a pulse oximetry > 92% while breathing room air
  • Adequate pancreatic function defined as serum lipase ≤ ULN at baseline
  • Negative B-HCG pregnancy test in females of childbearing potential (must be drawn within 24 hours prior to initial administration of nivolumab)
  • Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) receiving nivolumab agree to adhere to contraception for a period of 5 months after the last dose of nivolumab. Men receiving nivolumab and who are sexually active with WOCBP will agree to adhere to contraception for a period of 7 months after the last dose of nivolumab.
  • Ability to understand and/or the willingness of the patient (or parent or legally authorized representative, if minor) to provide informed consent using an institutionally approved informed consent procedure.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants who are receiving any other investigational agents.
• Participants must not be receiving concomitant systemic steroid medications The use of physiologic doses of corticosteroids (up to 5 mg/m2/day prednisone equivalent) may be approved after consultation with the PI (treatment with topical, inhaled or ophthalmic corticosteroid is acceptable)
• Participants with a known history of HIV, hepatitis B, and/or hepatitis C
• Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection or any other concurrent disease which in the judgment of the Investigator would make the subject inappropriate for enrollment on this study
• Has a history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or has current pneumonitis
• Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 12 months, 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 are exceptions. Intermittent use of bronchodilators or local steroid injections are not excluded. Replacement therapy (e.g. thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment. Autoimmune diagnoses not listed must be approved by the Principal Investigator.
• Patients who have received prior solid organ transplantation are not eligible.
• Pregnancy or Breast-Feeding. Pregnant or breast-feeding women will not be entered on this study due to risks of fetal and teratogenic adverse events as there is yet no available information regarding human fetal or teratogenic toxicities. Pregnancy tests must be obtained in girls who are post-menarchal.
• Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2 or anti-CTLA4 agent or with an agent directed to another stimulatory or co-inhibitory T-cell receptor (e.g. OX-40, CD137)
• Participants who have received live / attenuated vaccine within 30 days of first dose of study treatment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Solid Tumor (Stratum 1); Patients will receive combination therapy with nivolumab at a predetermined dose and ipilimumab at a predetermined dose day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 4 cycles; Starting with cycle 5, patients will receive nivolumab monotherapy at a predetermined dose on day 1 and day 15 of a 28-day cycle; Patients with INI1-negative relapsed or refractory extracranial solid tumors	Drug: Nivolumab; Combination Therapy: Nivolumab at predetermined dosage day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 4 cycles. Monotherapy: Starting with cycle 5 nivolumab at predetermined dosage on day 1 and day 15 of a 28-day cycle; Other Names: OPDIVO; Drug: Ipilimumab; Combination Therapy: Ipilimumab at predetermined dosage day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 4 cycles; Other Names: YERYOY
Experimental: CNS (Stratum 2); Patients will receive combination therapy with nivolumab at a predetermined dose and ipilimumab at a predetermined dose day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 4 cycles; Starting with cycle 5, patients will receive nivolumab monotherapy at a predetermined dose on day 1 and day 15 of a 28-day cycle; Patients with INI1-negative relapsed or refractory CNS tumors	Drug: Nivolumab; Combination Therapy: Nivolumab at predetermined dosage day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 4 cycles. Monotherapy: Starting with cycle 5 nivolumab at predetermined dosage on day 1 and day 15 of a 28-day cycle; Other Names: OPDIVO; Drug: Ipilimumab; Combination Therapy: Ipilimumab at predetermined dosage day 1 of a 21-day cycle for 4 cycles; Other Names: YERYOY

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Objective Overall Response Rate (Stratum 1)	Based on Response Evaluation in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1	12 months
Objective Overall Response Rate (Stratum 2)	Based on Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) Criteria	12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Progression-free survival (PFS)	Time from study enrollment until the first occurrence of disease progression, relapse or death due to disease	3 years
Overall survival (OS)	Time from study enrollment until death from any cause	3 years
Disease control rate at 12 months	The proportion of patients who are progression-free at 12 months	12 Months
Occurrence of toxicities (Grade 3-5 per CTCAE)	Assessed by National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 5.0	13 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Collaborators: Gateway for Cancer Research
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Suzanne Forrest, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 14, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 17, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 2, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): June 4, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 17, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 15, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Epithelioid Sarcoma; Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor; Rhabdoid Tumor of the Kidney; Chordoma (poorly differentiated or de-differentiated); Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor; INI1 negative tumors; SMARCA4-deficient malignant tumors
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Neoplasms, Connective and Soft Tissue; Neoplasms, Complex and Mixed; Sarcoma; Rhabdoid Tumor; Chordoma; 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: 20-041

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center encourages and supports the responsible and ethical sharing of data from clinical trials. De-identified participant data from the final research dataset used in the published manuscript may only be shared under the terms of a Data Use Agreement. Requests may be directed to Sponsor Investigator or designee. The protocol and statistical analysis plan will be made available on Clinicaltrials.gov only as required by federal regulation or as a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data can be shared no earlier than 1 year following the date of publication
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: DFCI - Contact the Belfer Office for Dana-Farber Innovations (BODFI) at innovation@dfci.harvard.edu
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

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