Pembrolizumab with Decitabine and/or Pralatrexate in Treating Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma or Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma
This phase Ib trial studies the side effects and best dose of decitabine and pralatrexate when given together with pembrolizumab and how well they work in treating patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma or cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that have come back (relapsed) or do not respond to treatment (refractory). Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as pralatrexate and decitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body’s immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving pembrolizumab with decitabine and/or pralatrexate may work better in treating patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma or cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Inclusion Criteria
- Be willing and able to provide written informed consent/assent for the trial
- Be ≥ 18 years of age on day of signing informed consent
- Have measurable disease as defined by the Lugano Criteria for PTCL and by the Global Response Score for CTCL
- Patient must have histologically confirmed relapsed or refractory Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) or cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL) as per World Health Organization (WHO) criteria and tumor-node-metastasis-blood (TNMB) classification and staging
- There is no upper limit for the number of prior therapies; patient may have relapsed after prior autologous stem cell transplant
- Patients who had prior treatment for their disease, as long as there is radiographic evidence of refractory or relapsed disease and the patient meets all other clinical and laboratory criteria for study treatment
- Be willing to provide tissue from a newly obtained core or excisional biopsy of a tumor lesion; be willing to provide fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of a tumor lesion; newly-obtained is defined as a specimen obtained up to 6 weeks (42 days) prior to initiation of treatment on day 1; subjects for whom newly-obtained samples cannot be provided (e.g. inaccessible or subject safety concern) may submit an archived specimen only upon agreement from the sponsor
- Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance scale
- Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,000/mcL within 10 days of treatment initiation
- Platelets >= 75,000/mcL within 10 days of treatment initiation
- Hemoglobin >= 9 g/dL or >= 5.6 mmol/L without transfusion or erythropoietin (EPO) dependency (within 7 days of assessment) within 10 days of treatment initiation
- Serum creatinine =< 1.5 X upper limit of normal (ULN) OR measured or calculated creatinine clearance (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] can also be used in place of creatinine or creatinine clearance [CrCl]) >= 60 mL/min for subject with creatinine levels > 1.5 X institutional ULN within 10 days of treatment initiation * Creatinine clearance should be calculated per institutional standard
- Serum total bilirubin =< 1.5 X ULN OR direct bilirubin =< ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels > 1.5 ULN within 10 days of treatment initiation
- Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase [SGPT]) =< 2.5 X ULN OR =< 5 X ULN for subjects with liver metastases within 10 days of treatment initiation
- Albumin >= 2.5 mg/dL within 10 days of treatment initiation
- International normalized ratio (INR) or prothrombin time (PT) =< 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or partial thromboplastin time (PTT) is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants within 10 days of treatment initiation
- Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) =< 1.5 X ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants within 10 days of treatment initiation
- Female subject of childbearing potential should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy within 72 hours prior to receiving the first dose of study medication; if the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required
- Female subjects of childbearing potential must be willing to use an adequate method of contraception for the course of the study through 120 days after the last dose of study medication * Note: Abstinence is acceptable if this is the usual lifestyle and preferred contraception for the subject
- Male subjects of childbearing potential must agree to use an adequate method of contraception, starting with the first dose of study therapy through 120 days after the last dose of study therapy * Note: Abstinence is acceptable if this is the usual lifestyle and preferred contraception for the subject
Exclusion Criteria
- Has lack of resolution of adverse events (AE) due to previously administered antineoplastic therapy to grade 1 or less according to National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), version 5.0
- Had prior therapy with PD-1 inhibitors
- Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or has been receiving any immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment; use of steroid equivalent to prednisone 10 mg/day does not constitute an exclusion criteria
- Has a known history of active TB (Bacillus tuberculosis)
- Hypersensitivity to pralatrexate, or decitabine or pembrolizumab or any of its excipients
- Has received prior allogeneic stem cell transplant
- Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment; exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer
- Has known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis; subjects with previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they are stable (without evidence of progression by imaging for at least four weeks prior to the first dose of trial treatment and any neurologic symptoms have returned to baseline), have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases, and are not using steroids for at least 7 days prior to trial treatment; this exception does not include carcinomatous meningitis which is excluded regardless of clinical stability
- Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years (i.e. with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs); 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; the following are exceptions to this criterion: subjects with vitiligo or alopecia; subjects with hypothyroidism (e.g., following Hashimoto syndrome) stable on hormone replacement; subjects with psoriasis not requiring systemic treatment; patients with autoimmune phenomena secondary to active lymphoma
- Has known history of, or any evidence of non-infectious pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease that required steroids or has current pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease
- 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 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 treating investigator
- 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, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment
- 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., hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or hepatitis C (e.g., hepatitis C virus [HCV] ribonucleic acid [RNA] [qualitative] is detected)
- Has received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy; administration of killed vaccines in allowed * 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 sponsor and potential other locations can be found on ClinicalTrials.gov for NCT03240211.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
I. Determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) and dose limiting toxicity (DLT) of the combinations of pembrolizumab and pralatrexate (Arm A), pralatrexate, decitabine and pembrolizumab (Arm B), and decitabine and pembrolizumab (Arm C) in patients with relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).
II. Evaluate the safety and toxicity of the combination of pembrolizumab and pralatrexate (Arm A), pralatrexate, decitabine and pembrolizumab (Arm B), and decitabine and pembrolizumab (Arm C) in patients with relapsed/refractory PTCL and CTCL.
III. Evaluate the efficacy, as determined by the overall response rate (ORR) (complete + partial response), of the combination of pembrolizumab and pralatrexate (Arm A), pralatrexate, decitabine and pembrolizumab (ARM B), and decitabine and pembrolizumab (Arm C) in patients with relapsed/refractory PTCL and CTCL.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
I. Describe the anti-tumor activity of the combinations of pembrolizumab and pralatrexate (Arm A), pralatrexate, decitabine and pembrolizumab (Arm B), and decitabine and pembrolizumab (Arm C) in patients with relapsed/refractory PTCL and CTCL.
II. Evaluate the efficacy, as determined by the overall response rate (ORR), progression free survival (PFS), and duration of response (DOR) of the study population receiving the combinations of pembrolizumab and pralatrexate (Arm A), pralatrexate, decitabine and pembrolizumab (Arm B), and decitabine and pembrolizumab (Arm C) in patients with relapsed/refractory PTCL and CTCL.
III. Evaluate pharmacodynamic markers of drug effect in paired tissue biopsies (pre- and post- treatment).
IV. Establish pharmacokinetic profile for pembrolizumab when administered with pralatrexate (Arm A), with decitabine (Arm C) and when given as a combination (Arm B) during cycle 1 only.
V. Obtain additional information regarding adverse events within the selected dose range.
VI. Estimate the overall survival (OS), PFS of the combination in patients with relapsed/refractory PTCL and CTCL.
VII. Estimate the DOR of patients with relapsed/refractory PTCL and CTCL on study.
VIII. Identify potential biomarkers of response to treatment.
EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:
I. Analyze the changes in the T cell repertoire in peripheral blood and primary tumor samples as a function of treatment with pembrolizumab and pralatrexate (Arm A), pembrolizumab, decitabine and pralatrexate (Arm B), pembrolizumab and decitabine (Arm C) in order to assess the contribution of epigenetic priming with decitabine in patients receiving treatment with pembrolizumab and pralatrexate.
II. Elucidate the immunomodulatory effect of the combinations of pembrolizumab with pralatrexate (Arm A), pralatrexate and decitabine (Arm B), and decitabine (Arm C) and identify biomarker of response.
OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study of pralatrexate and decitabine. Patients are assigned to 1 of 3 arms.
ARM A: Patients receive pralatrexate intravenously (IV) over 3-5 minutes on days 1, 8, and 15 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 28 days for up to 24 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients also receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1 on each cycle. Cycles repeat every 21 days for up to 24 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Additionally, patients undergo blood sample collection, optional tissue biopsy, and computed tomography (CT) or positron emission tomography (PET)/CT on study.
ARM B: Patients receive pralatrexate as in Arm A and decitabine IV over 1 hour on days 1-5 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 28 days for up to 24 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients also receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 8 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 21 days for up to 24 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Additionally, patients undergo blood sample collection, optional tissue biopsy, and CT or PET/CT on study.
ARM C: Patients receive decitabine and pembrolizumab as in Arm B. Additionally, patients undergo blood sample collection, optional tissue biopsy, and CT or PET/CT on study.
After completion of the study treatment, patients are followed up at 30 days and then every 8 weeks thereafter.
Trial PhasePhase I
Trial Typetreatment
Lead OrganizationUniversity of Virginia Cancer Center
Principal InvestigatorEnrica Marchi
- Primary IDHSR200265
- Secondary IDsNCI-2018-00450, PTCL 002
- ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT03240211