Talimogene Laherparepvec with Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Locally Advanced and Unresectable Soft Tissue Sarcomas
This early phase I trial tests how well talimogene laherparepvec with radiation therapy works in treating patients with soft tissue sarcomas (STS) that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced) and that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable). Talimogene laherparepvec is in a class of medications called oncolytic viruses. It is a weakened and modified form of the herpes simplex virus type I (the “cold sore” virus) that works by helping to kill tumor cells. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Giving talimogene laherparepvec together with radiation therapy may work better than radiation therapy alone in treating patients with locally advanced and unresectable STS.
Inclusion Criteria
- Subject has provided informed consent
- Histologically confirmed diagnosis of locally advanced STS subtypes (including undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, myxofibrosarcoma, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor [MPNST]) that are unresectable with clear wide margins, for which preoperative radiotherapy is considered appropriate EXAMPLES: * Resectable stage IIB, III, and IV disease that are not suitable for surgical resection alone due to inability to achieve clear margins. * Including metastatic (stage IV) disease for which radiotherapy and surgical resection are indicated. * Sarcoma histologies to include: undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (including the terms including, but not limited to pleomorphic undifferentiated sarcoma, unclassified spindle cell sarcoma, spindle cell sarcoma not otherwise specified, pleomorphic spindle cell sarcoma, pleomorphic fibroblastic sarcoma, undifferentiated high-grade pleomorphic sarcoma, pleomorphic sarcoma with prominent inflammation, pleomorphic sarcoma with giant cells, malignant fibrous histiocytoma fibrosarcoma), fibromyxosarcoma, and MPNST
- Previous treatment: prior systemic anti-cancer treatment consisting of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy are allowed provided therapy completed at least 1 year prior to enrollment * No prior talimogene laherparepvec or tumor vaccines allowed * No prior radiation to the same tumor bed allowed
- Age ≥ 18 years
- Both men and women of all races and ethnic groups are eligible for this trial
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤ 1
- Patient must have measurable disease: * Tumor size at least ≥ 5 cm in the longest diameter as measured by CT scan or MRI for which radiation is feasible
- Patient must have injectable disease (direct injection or ultrasound guided)
Exclusion Criteria
- Sarcoma histologies that are not consistent with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, myxofibrosarcoma, or MPNST
- History or evidence of sarcoma associated with immunodeficiency states (e.g.: hereditary immune deficiency, HIV, organ transplant or leukemia)
- Subjects with retroperitoneal and visceral sarcoma
- History or evidence of uncontrolled gastrointestinal inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease) or other symptomatic uncontrolled autoimmune disease including, inflammatory bowel disease, or history of any poorly controlled or severe systemic autoimmune disease (i.e., severe rheumatoid arthritis requiring biologic treatment, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, or autoimmune vasculitis).
- History of other malignancy within the past 3 years except treated with curative intent and no known active disease present and has not received chemotherapy for ≥ 1 year before enrollment/randomization and low risk for recurrence
- History of prior or current splenectomy or splenic irradiation
- Active herpetic skin lesions
- Require intermittent or chronic treatment with an anti-herpetic drug (e.g., acyclovir), other than intermittent topical use
- Any non-oncology vaccine therapies used for the prevention of infectious disease within 28 days prior to enrollment and during treatment period
- Concomitant treatment with therapeutic anticoagulants such as warfarin. Patients on therapeutic low molecular weight heparin may be allowed provided the dose can be safely held as per the treating investigator on the morning of scheduled intratumoral injection and can be resumed 12 hours after the procedure
- Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease (requires negative test for clinically suspected HIV infection)
- Acute or chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection (requires negative test for clinically suspected hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection) * Evidence of hepatitis B ** Positive hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (indicative for chronic hepatitis B or recent acute hepatitis B) ** Negative HBV surface antigen but positive HBV total core antibody (indicative for resolved hepatitis B infection or occult hepatitis B) and detectable copies of HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (detectable HBV DNA copies suggest occult hepatitis B) * Evidence of hepatitis C ** Positive hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody and positive HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) by PCR (undetectable RNA copies suggest past and resolved hepatitis C infection)
- Female subjects who are pregnant or breast-feeding or planning to become pregnant during study treatment and through 3 months after the last dose of study treatment
- Female subjects of childbearing potential or male subjects who are unwilling to use 2 highly effective methods of contraception during study treatment and through 3 months after the last dose of study treatment
- Currently receiving treatment in another investigational device or drug study, or less than 30 days since ending treatment on another investigational device or drug study(s)
- Other investigational procedures while participating in this study that could affect the primary objective of the study as determined by the principal investigator (PI) are excluded
- Subject previously has entered this study
- Evidence of central nervous system (CNS) metastases
- History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to talimogene laherparepvec
- Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
- Patients on or requiring immunosuppressive therapies
- Hemoglobin < 9.0 g/dL
- Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 1500 per mm^3
- Platelet count < 100,000 per mm^3
- Total bilirubin > 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN)
- Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) > 2.5 x ULN
- Alkaline phosphatase > 2.5 x ULN
- Prothrombin time (PT) (or international normalized ratio [INR]) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) (or activated partial thromboplastin time [aPTT]) > 1.5 x ULN
- Creatinine > 2.0 x ULN
Study sponsor and potential other locations can be found on ClinicalTrials.gov for NCT06660810.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:
I. To estimate the efficacy of neoadjuvant talimogene laherparepvec and radiotherapy as assessed by the pathological complete response rates (pCR) in subjects with histologically confirmed diagnosis of locally advanced STS that is unresectable with clear wide margins, for which preoperative radiotherapy is considered appropriate.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
I. Further assess the safety of talimogene laherparepvec given concurrently with preoperative external beam radiation in sarcoma patients.
II. To estimate:
IIa. Overall response rate (ORR);
IIb. Time to progression (TTP);
IIc. Overall survival (OS).
EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVE:
I. To estimate changes in circulating tumor-derived deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA).
OUTLINE:
Patients receive talimogene laherparepvec intratumorally on day 1 of week 1. Beginning in week 4, patients undergo external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) once daily (QD) on weekdays for up to 5 weeks (weeks 4-8) and receive talimogene laherparepvec intratumorally once weekly (QW) during radiation. After completion of radiation, patients continue to receive talimogene laherparepvec QW in weeks 9-12, up to surgical resection, in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo surgery 4-6 weeks after completion of radiation therapy. Additionally, patients undergo tumor biopsy prior to enrollment and blood sample collection, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) throughout the study.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 30 days, then every 12-16 weeks for up to 5 years.
Trial PhasePhase O
Trial Typetreatment
Lead OrganizationUniversity of Iowa/Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
Principal InvestigatorJohn Markus Rieth
- Primary ID202402722
- Secondary IDsNCI-2025-00307
- ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT06660810