Lurbinectedin + Doxorubicin In Leiomyosarcoma

April 8, 2026 updated by: Gregory Cote, Massachusetts General Hospital

A Phase 1b/2 Trial of Lurbinectedin Plus Doxorubicin in Leiomyosarcoma

This research study involves the study drug lurbinectedin in combination with doxorubicin.

This research has two parts. The first part is being done to determine the tolerability of lurbinectedin with doxorubicin in people with soft tissue sarcoma. The second part is a randomized study to determine which is more effective at treating leiomyosarcoma, lurbinectedin with doxorubicin or lurbinectedin alone.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

This is an open label phase 1b/2 study exploring the safety and efficacy of lurbinectedin with doxorubicin.

- The phase 1b trial will follow a standard 3+3 design. Upon determination of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of lurbinectedin plus doxorubicin, the randomized phase 2 trial in participants with advanced leiomyosarcoma (LMS) will commence. Participants will be randomized 1:1 for enrollment to one of two treatment arms:

  • Arm 1: Lurbinectedin with Doxorubicin
  • Arm 2: Doxorubicin Monotherapy

This is a Phase Ib/II clinical trial. A Phase Ib clinical trial tests the safety of an investigational drug combination and also tries to define the appropriate dose of the investigational drugs to use for further studies. "Investigational" means that the drugs are being studied.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved lurbinectedin for this specific disease but it has been approved for the treatment of small cell lung cancer.

The U.S. FDA has approved doxorubicin as a treatment option for soft-tissue sarcoma.

Lurbinectedin is a synthetically derived chemical that binds to DNA. The binding to DNA likely induces cell death. Doxorubicin is a cytotoxic chemotherapy drug that kills cancer cells by several mechanisms including binding to DNA.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

62

Phase

  • 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 Locations

    • Arizona
      • Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85054
        • Mayo Arizona
    • Florida
      • Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32224
        • Mayo Jacksonville
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
        • Dana Farber Cancer Institute
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Massachusetts General Hospital
    • Minnesota
      • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
        • Mayo Rochester
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10065
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • For Enrollment to Phase 1b: Participants must have histologically confirmed advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma and no curative multimodality treatment options available.
  • For Enrollment to Phase 2: Participants must have histologically confirmed advanced or metastatic leiomyosarcoma (LMS) and no curative multimodality treatment options available.
  • Participants must have measurable disease per RECIST 1.1 criteria
  • Age ≥ 18 years. Because no dosing or adverse event data are currently available on the use of lurbinectedin in combination with doxorubicin in participants <18 years of age, children are excluded from this study, but will be eligible for future pediatric trials.
  • ECOG performance status ≤ 2 (Karnofsky ≥ 60%,).
  • Participants must have adequate organ and marrow function as defined below:

    • Absolute Neutrophil Count ≥ 1,500/mcL
    • Hemoglobin (Hgb) ≥ 8 g/dl (transfusion support permitted)
    • Platelet Count ≥ 100,000/mcL
    • Total Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × institutional upper limit of normal (ULN)
    • AST (SGOT) / ALT(SGPT) ≤ 2.5 × institutional ULN, OR ≤ 5 × institutional ULN if elevation is a result of metastases
    • Creatinine ≤ 1.5 × institutional ULN, OR Creatinine Clearance ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 for participants with creatinine levels above 1.5 × institutional normal (calculated via the Cockcroft-Gault equation)
    • Creatine Phosphokinase (CPK)< 2.5 × institutional ULN on two different determinations performed one week (± 1 day) apart
  • For participants with known chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the HBV viral load must be undetectable on suppressive therapy, if indicated.
  • Participants with a known history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection must have been treated and cured. For participants with known HCV infection who are currently on treatment, they are eligible if they have an undetectable HCV viral load.
  • Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 50% on screening echocardiogram (ECHO) or multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan.
  • The effects of lurbinectedin or doxorubicin on the developing human fetus are unknown. For this reason and because anti-cancer agents are known to be teratogenic, women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. Men and women treated or enrolled on this protocol must agree to use adequate contraception prior to the study, for the duration of study participation, and 6 months after completion of study agent administration.
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
  • Participants must have archival tissue available for analysis in the form of a formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) block or unstained slides. Participants without archival tissue available may be enrolled with approval of the Sponsor-Investigator. Note: confirmation of availability of archival tissue is the only requirement for eligibility, archival tissue does not need to be received by the study team or site prior to enrollment.
  • Patients with a prior or concurrent malignancy whose natural history or treatment does not have the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the investigational regimen as assessed by the treating investigator may be included with the approval of the Sponsor-Investigator.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants who have received prior anthracycline or trabectedin (Yondelis, ET-743), including prior exposure to doxorubicin or liposomal doxorubicin.
  • Participants who have received more than 2 prior lines of cytotoxic chemotherapy for the phase 1b study and no more than 1 prior line of cytotoxic chemotherapy for the phase 2 study. There is no limit on the number of prior lines of non-cytotoxic chemotherapy (e.g., pazopanib, immunotherapy).
  • Prior exposure to lurbinectedin (PM01183).
  • Participants who have received prior radiation treatment of > 45 Gy to the pelvis.
  • Participants who have received or undergone prior chemotherapy within 14 days of cycle 1 day 1, therapeutic radiation therapy within 21 days of cycle 1 day 1 or major surgery within 21 days of cycle 1 day 1.
  • Participants who have received prior palliative radiation therapy within 7 days of cycle 1 day 1.
  • Participants who have received prior antibody-based therapy (e.g., nivolumab) within 4 weeks or 3 half-lives (whichever is shorter) of cycle 1 day 1.
  • Participants who have received prior oral small molecule or tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy within 2 weeks or 3 half-lives (whichever is shorter) of cycle 1 day 1.
  • Participants who have not recovered to ≤ Grade 1 or baseline from adverse events attributed to any prior anti-cancer therapy, with the exceptions of alopecia, controlled endocrine toxicity (e.g., hypothyroidism), and cutaneous toxicity which will be permitted at Grade 2.
  • Participants who are receiving any other investigational agents.
  • Participants with known CNS disease involvement, with the exception of patients with brain metastases that have been previously treated and have remained stable on MRI ≥ 28 days prior to cycle 1 day 1 without use of steroids or anti-epileptic medications.
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to lurbinectedin or doxorubicin.
  • Participants receiving any medications or substances that are strong or moderate inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A, CYP2D6, or P-gp are ineligible. Because the lists of these agents are constantly changing, it is important to regularly consult a frequently updated medical reference. As part of the enrollment/informed consent procedures, the participant must be counseled on the risk of interactions with other agents, and what to do if new medications need to be prescribed or if the participant is considering a new over-the-counter medicine or herbal product.
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to: ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, chronic indwelling drains, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
  • History of interstitial pneumonitis or pulmonary fibrosis.
  • Known cardiomyopathy.
  • Pregnant women are excluded from this study because lurbinectedin and doxorubicin are anti-cancer agents with the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects. Because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with lurbinectedin or doxorubicin, breastfeeding must be discontinued if the mother is treated with lurbinectedin or doxorubicin. A negative pregnancy test is required for women of childbearing potential prior to the first dose of study medication.
  • Immunocompromised patients, including patients who are known to be seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) due to the increased risk of lethal infections when treated with marrow-suppressive therapy. HIV testing is not required as part of screening.

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: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Lurbinectedin + Doxorubicin Phase I

The phase 1b trial will follow a standard 3+3 design. Upon determination of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of lurbinectedin plus doxorubicin. A treatment cycle will be defined as 21 consecutive days. Treatment will be administered on an outpatient basis

  • Lurbinectedin
  • Doxorubicin
Dosage per protocol, escalation per protocol, IV over 60 minutes (± 5 minute infusion window), schedule per protocol
Other Names:
  • Zepzelca
Dosage per protocol, IV per institutional standards of practice and the FDA package insert, schedule per protocol
Other Names:
  • Adriamycin
Experimental: Lurbinectedin + Doxorubicin at RP2D

The randomized two arm phase 2 trial will begin following the determination of the RP2D for lurbinectedin and doxorubicin.

  • Participants will be randomized 1:1 to enroll to either Arm 1 or Arm 2
  • Participants enrolled to Arm 1 will receive Lurbinectedin with Doxorubicin at the RP2D defined during the phase 1b portion of the trial.
Dosage per protocol, escalation per protocol, IV over 60 minutes (± 5 minute infusion window), schedule per protocol
Other Names:
  • Zepzelca
Dosage per protocol, IV per institutional standards of practice and the FDA package insert, schedule per protocol
Other Names:
  • Adriamycin
Active Comparator: Doxorubicin Monotherapy

The randomized two arm phase 2 trial will begin following the determination of the RP2D for lurbinectedin and doxorubicin.

  • Participants will be randomized 1:1 to enroll to either Arm 1 or Arm 2
  • Participants enrolled to Arm 2 will receive Doxorubicin at the standard dose of 75 mg/m2
Dosage per protocol, IV per institutional standards of practice and the FDA package insert, schedule per protocol
Other Names:
  • Adriamycin

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of lurbinectedin with doxorubicin in participants with advanced soft-tissue sarcoma
Time Frame: 21 Days
The MTD will be defined as the dose where less than 1 in 3 patients experience a DLT. At least 6 patients must be treated at this dose level. DLTs will be defined as toxicities experienced by participants enrolled to the phase 1b portion of the trial that are considered at least possibly related to the treatment regimen, occur during the first cycle of treatment.
21 Days
PFS rate of lurbinectedin with doxorubicin compared to doxorubicin alone in participants with advanced LMS
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
Progression-Free Survival (PFS) is defined as the time from randomization (or registration) to the earlier of progression or death due to any cause. Participants alive without disease progression are censored at date of last disease evaluation.
Up to 5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Disease Control Rate Phase 1b
Time Frame: 6 Months
Response and progression will be evaluated in this study using the new international criteria proposed by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) guideline (version 1.1) Changes in the largest diameter (unidimensional measurement) of the tumor lesions and the shortest diameter in the case of malignant lymph nodes are used in the RECIST criteria
6 Months
Disease Control Rate Phase 1b
Time Frame: 12 Months
Response and progression will be evaluated in this study using the new international criteria proposed by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) guideline (version 1.1) Changes in the largest diameter (unidimensional measurement) of the tumor lesions and the shortest diameter in the case of malignant lymph nodes are used in the RECIST criteria
12 Months
Progression Free Survival Phase 1b
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
PFS is defined as the time from as the time from randomization (or registration) to the earlier of progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first
Up to 5 years
Overall Survival Phase 1b
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
OS is defined as the time from randomization (or registration) to death due to any cause, or censored at date last known alive.
Up to 5 years
Objective Response Phase 1b
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
assessed by RECIST version 1.1 criteria
Up to 5 years
Disease Control Rate Phase 2
Time Frame: 6 Months
Response and progression will be evaluated in this study using the new international criteria proposed by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) guideline (version 1.1) Changes in the largest diameter (unidimensional measurement) of the tumor lesions and the shortest diameter in the case of malignant lymph nodes are used in the RECIST criteria
6 Months
Disease Control Rate Phase 2
Time Frame: 12 Months
Response and progression will be evaluated in this study using the new international criteria proposed by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) guideline (version 1.1) Changes in the largest diameter (unidimensional measurement) of the tumor lesions and the shortest diameter in the case of malignant lymph nodes are used in the RECIST criteria
12 Months
Overall Survival Rate Phase 2
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
OS is defined as the time from randomization (or registration) to death due to any cause, or censored at date last known alive.
Up to 5 years
Objective Response Rate Phase 2
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
assessed by RECIST version 1.1 criteria
Up to 5 years
Number of Participants Treatment Related Adverse Events
Time Frame: Up to 5 years
NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0
Up to 5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Gregory Cote, M.D. Ph.D, Massachusetts General Hospital

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)

February 4, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 1, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 18, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

October 29, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 8, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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

Contact the Partners Innovations team at http://www.partners.org/innovation

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

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.

Yes

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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