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Pembrolizumab, Olaparib, and Temozolomide for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioma

Trial Status: active

This phase II trial tests whether pembrolizumab, olaparib, and temozolomide work to shrink tumors in patients with glioma that has come back after treatment (recurrent). Pembrolizumab is an antibody like the proteins produced by the immune system to help fight infections and, possibly, cancer. Pembrolizumab blocks a protein called PD-1 (programmed death-1) that is located on white blood cells and on some cancer cells. Blocking this protein strengthens the immune system, which may help it recognize and fight cancer cells. Olaparib blocks a protein called PARP that repairs damage to a cell’s deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) before the cell divides. (Cell division is the way cells increase in number; in cancer cells, this process is rapid and uncontrolled.) If DNA damage is not repaired, cancer cells cannot reproduce as rapidly, and cancer growth is slowed or stopped. Temozolomide prevents DNA repair in cancer cells. Combining pembrolizumab, olaparib, and temozolomide may increase their effectiveness: olaparib and temozolomide prevents the repair of DNA damage in cancer cells, and pembrolizumab may help the immune system recognize and destroy the damaged cells.