SAR444245 in Combination with Cemiplimab before Transoral Robotic Surgery in the Treatment of Stage I Human Papillomavirus Related Oropharynx Squamous Cell Carcinoma
This phase II trial tests the efficacy, safety, and feasibility of SAR444245 in combination with cemiplimab before standard of care transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for the treatment of patients with stage I human papillomavirus (HPV) related oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma. Immunotherapy with SAR444245, may induce changes in the body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as cemiplimab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. SAR444245 given in combination with cemiplimab may help to kill tumor cells in patients with HPV-related oropharynx cancer who are scheduled to have surgery to remove the disease.
Inclusion Criteria
- Capable of giving signed informed consent which includes compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the informed consent and in this protocol
- Age >= 18 years old
- Newly diagnosed HPV-related oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma, either confirmed or suspected. Patients with a primary oropharynx cancer consistent with squamous cell carcinoma based on clinical presentation and radiological features AND that are interested in participating in this study can have histological confirmation at the same time as the research biopsy. Patient can only participate in the study if squamous cell carcinoma histology AND HPV is confirmed
- Disease stage I per the TNM American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th Edition
- Patients must be amenable to TORS in the opinion of the treating head and neck surgeon
- Patients must be willing to undergo baseline biopsy to obtain tumor material
- Disease must be measurable by RECIST 1.1
- Performance status Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0 or 1
- Patient weight must be at least 50 Kg
- Baseline pulse oximetry > 92%
- Neutrophils < 1500/mm^3
- Platelet count < 100,000/mm^3
- Hemoglobin < 9 g/dL
- Total bilirubin > 1.5 upper limit of normal (ULN) (except known Gilbert’s syndrome)
- aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) > 2.5 of upper limit of normality (ULN) glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 40 mL/min/1.73 m^2 (GFR will be calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration [CKD-EPI] equation per institutional standard)
- Female patients with reproductive potential must practice two effective contraceptive measures for the duration of study drug therapy and for at least 120 days after completion of study therapy. The two birth control methods can be either two barrier methods or a barrier method plus a hormonal method to prevent pregnancy. The following are considered adequate barrier methods of contraception: diaphragm, condom, copper intrauterine device, sponge, or spermicide. Appropriate hormonal contraceptives will include any registered and marketed contraceptive agent that contains an estrogen and/or a progestational agent (including oral, subcutaneous, intrauterine, or intramuscular agents)
- Male participants with female partners of childbearing potential are eligible to participate if they agree to either be abstinent from penile-vaginal intercourse or use a male condom plus partner use of a hormonal contraceptive method during the treatment period and for at least 120 days after the last dose of study treatment. Men with a pregnant or breastfeeding partner must agree to remain abstinent from penile-vaginal intercourse or use a male condom during each episode of penile penetration
Exclusion Criteria
- History of previous malignancy other than malignancy treated with curative intent and with no evidence of active disease >= 3 years before the first dose of the study drugs and of low potential risk for recurrence. Patients with the following diagnoses represents an exception and may enroll: * Non-melanoma skin cancers with no current evidence of disease * Melanoma in situ with no current evidence of disease * Localized cancer of the prostate with prostate-specific antigen of < 1 ng/mL * Treated or localized well-differentiated thyroid cancer * Treated cervical carcinoma in situ * Treated ductal/lobular carcinoma in situ of the breast
- International normalized ratio (INR) or prothrombin time (PT) or activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) >1.5 × ULN unless the participant is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or aPTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants
- Participants under anti-hypertensive treatment who cannot temporarily (for at least 36 hours) withhold antihypertensive medications prior to each investigational medicinal product (IMP) dosing
- Evidence of uncontrolled, active infection, requiring systemic anti-bacterial, anti-viral or anti-fungal therapy =< 14 days prior to administration of investigational product. Patients with known hepatitis B, hepatitis C (HCV), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection could go on study provided the viral load is undetectable at screening
- Patient with active, known, or suspected autoimmune disease that has required systemic therapy. Exceptions: patients with vitiligo, type I diabetes mellitus, and endocrinopathies
- Unstable or severe uncontrolled medical condition (e.g., unstable cardiac or pulmonary function or uncontrolled diabetes) or any important medical illness or abnormal laboratory finding that would, in the investigator’s judgment, increase the risk to the patient associated with his or her participation in the study
- Female subjects who are pregnant or breast-feeding
- Known hypersensitivity (>= grade 3) to or contraindication for the use of any study intervention or components thereof, including premedication to be administered in this study, as well as polyethylene glycol (PEG) or any pegylated drug and E. coli-derived protein
Study sponsor and potential other locations can be found on ClinicalTrials.gov for NCT05535023.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:
I. To evaluate the major pathologic response (MPR; =< 10% residual tumor) rate of pegenzileukin (SAR444245) combined with cemiplimab administered in the neoadjuvant setting.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To evaluate the safety and tolerability of neoadjuvant SAR444245 plus cemiplimab using National Cancer Institute-Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE) version 5.0.
II. To evaluate the feasibility of neoadjuvant SAR444245 plus cemiplimab by assessing the percentage of patients not able to undergo the initially proposed surgery due to disease progression or an adverse event attributed to the drug combination.
III. To evaluate the objective response rate (ORR) to neoadjuvant SAR444245 plus cemiplimab by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1.
IV. To evaluate the proportion of patients who changed TNM stage (i.e.: change of TNM stage post-treatment as compared to pre-treatment) followed neoadjuvant SAR444245 plus cemiplimab.
V. To assess the 1-year disease-free (DFS) survival rate.
EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:
I. To evaluate HPV cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as a biomarker of response to therapy.
II. To evaluate pre- and post- treatment tumor and blood biomarkers and correlate with pathologic and clinical response and toxicity.
III. To evaluate the relationship between matched time-point RECIST criteria on anatomic imaging (T1/T2 magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] or contrast computed tomography [CT]) with candidate functional imaging (diffusion-weighted imaging, magnetic resonance [MR] relaxometry, MRI/CT radiomics), pathologic (MPR) and serum (cell free [cf]DNA) novel biomarkers of therapeutic response.
OUTLINE:
Patients receive SAR444245 intravenously (IV) over 30 minutes every 3 weeks on Day 1 of each cycle and cemiplimab IV over 30 minutes every 3 weeks on Day 1 of each cycle during neoadjuvant study period, followed by TORS. Cycles repeat every 28 days up to 3 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Depending on post-treatment pathologic response, patients may receive radiation therapy (RT) during adjuvant study period and/or consolidation SAR444245 plus cemiplimab during adjuvant study period as clinically indicated. Patients undergo a tumor biopsy during screening and on study. Patients also undergo a CT or MRI during screening and on study and may undergo a positron emission tomography (PET) scan during screening. Patients undergo blood sample collections on study.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up for 2 years.
Trial PhasePhase II
Trial Typetreatment
Lead OrganizationM D Anderson Cancer Center
Principal InvestigatorRenata Ferrarotto
- Primary ID2022-0013
- Secondary IDsNCI-2022-07560
- ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT05535023