A Pilot Study to Understand the Impact of Therapy With Tumour Treating Fields (TTFields) in NSCLC

Low intensity, intermediate frequency (100-300 kHz) alternating electric fields, also known as Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) were found to have a profound inhibitory effect on the growth rate of a variety of human cancer cells. Previous study showed anti-tumor activity in respect of melanoma, glioblastoma (GBM), breast carcinoma and NSCLC cell lines. This study aims to assess the impact of TTFields on NSCLC though the understanding of tumor evolution and peripheral lymphocytes activity and proliferation.

Concomitant to drug therapy, patients will receive treatment with Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), generated by the medical device NovoTTF-200T with a recommended duration of minimum 18 h a day. TTFields administered using insulated transducer arrays applied to the skin surrounding the region of a malignant tumor.

50 patients will be recruited according to the study design in two cohorts and will receive TTFields therapy: Cohort A: Adult NSCLC EGFR positive mutation. Cohort B: Adult NSCLC patients to be treated with PD-1 inhibitors. The cohort A will focus on the clonal evolution in EGFR mutated lung cancer patients by using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis of paired baseline and end-of-treatment (EOT) plasma samples. The cohort B will study the impact of TTField on the profile, activity, and proliferation of peripheral lymphocytes. Lymphocytes will be purified from whole blood samples for the profile, proliferation, and activity analyzed by FACS.

Treatment with TTFields will be administered until progressive disease, unacceptable toxicity1, withdrawal of consent or death. After the end of treatment, the patients will be followed until data cutoff date or 2 years after the last patient had entered the study.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Non Small Cell Lung Cancer; EGFR Gene Mutation; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: concomitant TTFields treatment device to standard of care EGFR positive NSCLC treatment; Device: concomitant TTFields treatment device to standard of care anti PD-1 NSCLC treatment

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Nir Peled, MD; Phone Number: +972587040620; Email: nirp@szmc.org.il

Study Locations

• Israel
  • Jerusalem, Israel
    • Shaare Zedek Medical Center

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:

1. Male and female patients 18 years of age and older.
2. Have histologically or cytologically confirmed lung cancer.
3. Documented next generation sequencing assay performed on tumor sample in Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-approved laboratory.
4. Have at least 1 measurable lesion per RECIST v1.1
5. Have life expectancy ≥3 months.
6. Have Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤2.
7. Must provide a signed and dated informed consent indicating that the participants have been informed of all pertinent aspects of the study, including the potential risks, and is willingly participating.
8. Have the willingness and ability to comply with scheduled visits and study procedures.
9. Cohort A, confirmed EGFR mutation.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Implanted electronic devices (e.g. pacemaker) in the upper torso.
2. Have been diagnosed with another primary malignancy within the past 3 years (except for adequately treated non-melanoma skin cancer, cervical cancer in situ or prostate cancer, which are allowed within 3 years).
3. Have any condition or illness that, in the opinion of the investigator, would compromise participants' safety or interfere with the evaluation.
4. Be pregnant or breastfeeding.

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: NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation; The cohort A will focus on the clonal evolution in EGFR mutated lung cancer patients by using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis of paired baseline and end-of-treatment (EOT) plasma samples. This cohort will be compared to matched EGFR patients previously analyzed by our group. Analysis of paired samples from this study will allow a dissection of events acquired through therapy, specifically which component of the combination therapy may be driving selection of the mutations in comparison with the control group without TTFields.	Device: concomitant TTFields treatment device to standard of care EGFR positive NSCLC treatment; Concomitant to drug therapy, patients will receive treatment with Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), generated by the medical device NovoTTF-200T with a recommended duration of minimum 18 h a day. TTFields administered using insulated transducer arrays applied to the skin surrounding the region of a malignant tumor.
Experimental: NSCLC patients planned to receive PD-1 inhibitors; The cohort B will study the impact of TTField on the profile, activity, and proliferation of peripheral lymphocytes in NSCLC patients receiving PD-1 inhibitors concomitant to TTFields treatment. Lymphocytes will be purified from whole blood samples for the profile, proliferation, and activity analyzed by FACS.	Device: concomitant TTFields treatment device to standard of care anti PD-1 NSCLC treatment; Concomitant to drug therapy, patients will receive treatment with Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), generated by the medical device NovoTTF-200T with a recommended duration of minimum 18 h a day. TTFields administered using insulated transducer arrays applied to the skin surrounding the region of a malignant tumor.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Molecular ctDNA characterization under concomitant TTFields therapy - cohort A (EGFR)	The primary outcome measure will be the rate of new somatic mutation detection in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) in patients receiving concurrent TTFields therapy. The measure will be reported as the percentage of patients showing new somatic mutations upon progression of their disease following TTFields treatment.	5 years
In vitro peripheral lymphocytes activity characterization under concomitant TTFields therapy - cohort B (under PD-1 inhibitors treatment)	The primary outcome measure will be the evaluation of the impact of combining PD-1 inhibitors with TTFields therapy on peripheral lymphocyte activity using an in vitro assay. Whole blood samples will be collected and the assay will involve the isolation, activation, and labeling of peripheral lymphocytes from patients in cohort B with a panel of antibodies. The analysis will be performed using flow cytometry (FACS) and the longitudinal changes in peripheral lymphocyte activity will be correlated with each patient's response.	5 years
Characterization of the impact of TTFields on peripheral lymphocytes proliferation ex-vivo - cohort B (PD-1 inhibitors treatment)	The primary outcome measure will be the quantification of peripheral lymphocyte proliferation in patients receiving PD-1 inhibitors therapy using an in vitro assay. Whole blood samples will be collected and the assay will involve the isolation, labeling, and analysis of peripheral lymphocytes with carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE). Proliferation will be measured using flow cytometry (FACS) and the longitudinal changes in peripheral lymphocyte proliferation will be correlated with each patient's response to the therapy in cohort B.	5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Safety will be assessed by recording adverse events in both cohorts.	Grading of an Adverse Event. The descriptions and grading scales found in the revised NCI Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC) version 4.0 will be utilized for assessing severity of adverse events. If the toxicity is not characterized adequately by the NCI toxicity scale, the investigator will use the adjectives MILD, MODERATE, SEVERE to describe the maximum intensity of the adverse event.	5 years
Objective response rate	Objective response rate (ORR) assessed by the investigator, defined as the proportion of the participants with confirmed complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid tumors (RECIST) v1.1, after initiation of study treatment.	5 years
DoR	Duration of response, defined as the time interval from the time that the measurement criteria are first met for CR/PR (whichever is first recorded) until the first date that the progressive disease is objectively documented or death. Patients without progressive disease or death will be censored at the last valid response assessment	5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Nir Peled

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): January 20, 2023
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 23, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 22, 2023
• First Posted (Estimate): January 26, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): January 26, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 22, 2023
• Last Verified: January 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: NSCLC; Non Small Cell Lung Cancer; TTFields; immune checkpoint inhibitor; EGFR Gene Mutation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Respiratory Tract Diseases; Neoplasms; Lung Diseases; Neoplasms by Site; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms; Thoracic Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Bronchogenic; Bronchial Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
• Other Study ID Numbers: SZMC-0216-22

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