Clinical trial · Interventional
Immunotherapy +/- EGFR Inhibitor In Advanced/Metastatic cSCC: Tackling Primary And Secondary Resistance
Immunotherapy Followed By EGFR Inhibitor In Locally Advanced Or Metastatic Squamous Cell Cancer Of The Skin: Tackling Primary And Secondary Resistance
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Cutaneous Squamous Cell Cancer (Cscc, 25%) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC; 75%) are the major subtypes of non-melanoma skin cancer. Most cSCC arise in the head and neck region because it is frequently exposed to sunlight and its ensuing UV radiation-induced DNA damage, which is the major etiologic factor. There is an urgent need to identify new therapeutic targets for patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous Cell Cancer of the skin. Substantial progress has recently been made in the development of immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer. In particular, the treatment with pembrolizumab alone or in conjunction with an anti epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) agent may reverse this condition, so performing radical surgery. Finally, the adjunct of an anti EGFR agent as cetuximab could reverse the primary and secondary resistance to pembrolizumab, with a synergistic effect able to counteract pathway redundancy (i.e. the presence of several concurrent pathways which need to be addressed together) and boosting T cell priming. Hence, there is rationale to combine cetuximab with pembrolizumab in order to increase its effectiveness.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin Neoplasm | Skin Neoplasm | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.98 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cetuximab | Drug | Cetuximab | ALIAS |
| Pembrolizumab | Drug | Pembrolizumab | ALIAS |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (1)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Pembrolizumab
- description
- Pembrolizumab 200 mg, IV infusion on Day 1 of each 3 week cycle. After 3 cycles patient will be evaluated. In case of disease control (SD, PR, CR) the patient will continue to receive pembrolizumab. In case of progression the patient will receive also Cetuximab (250 mg/m2 after loading dose of 400mg/m2 IV infusion every week.
- interventionNames
- Drug: Pembrolizumab
- Drug: Cetuximab
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Cumulative response rate
- timeFrame
- 15 patients will be enrolled. The first evaluation will take place when the last completes three 21-day cycles of Pembrolizumab+/-cetuximab. If we don't observe at least 5 responses (PR/CR), we will stop the recruitment and reject the hypothesis.
- description
- Increase in cumulative response rate (PR + CR) obtained by single agent or by combination strategy (pembrolizumab alone or with pembrolizumab + EGFR inhibiting agent) in respect to monotherapy with anti-EGFR agent.
Secondary outcomes (6)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Willing and able to provide written informed consent/assent for the trial. * 18 years of age. * Histological diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin not amenable to surgical treatment and to radiation with curative purposes or with clinical contraindication to surgery and radiation. * Have metastatic disease * Have measurable disease based on RECIST 1.1. * Be willing to provide tissue from a newly obtained core or excisional biopsy of a tumor lesion. * Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Scale. * Demonstrate adequate hematological, renal and hepatic organ function as defined in the study protocol. * Women of childbearing potential should have a negative pregnancy within 72 hours prior to receiving the first dose of study medication. * Women of childbearing potential must be willing to use an adequate method of contraception as outlined in the study protocol4 * Men of childbearing potential must be willing to use an adequate method of contraception as outlined in the study protocol Exclusion Criteria: * Current or past participation participating and receiving study therapy or has participated in a study of an investigational agent and received study therapy or used an investigational device within 4 weeks of the first dose of treatment. * Previous treatment with anti-EGFR agent * Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy (prednisone equivalent dose \> 10 mg per day) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment. * Has a known history of active TB (Bacillus Tuberculosis) * Hypersensitivity to the trials drugs or their excipients. * Has had a prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study Day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier. * Has had prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 2 weeks prior to study Day 1 or who has not recovered (≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events. * Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment. * Has known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. * Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years. * Has known history of, or any evidence of active, non-infectious pneumonitis. * Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy. * Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with participation, or is not in the best interest of the subject. * Has 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. * Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agent. * Has a known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies). * Has known active Hepatitis B (e.g., HBsAg reactive) or Hepatitis C (e.g., HCV RNA \[qualitative\] is detected). * Has previously received an organ transplant * Has previously received bone marrow transplantation * Has received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy.
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available