Vaccines (TheraT Vectors) with Carboplatin and Paclitaxel prior to Transoral Robotic Surgery, Radiation Therapy, or Chemoradiation for the Treatment of HPV16 Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer, The TARGET HPV Study
This phase I/II trial tests the safety, side effects, best dose, and effectiveness of TheraT vectors (HB-201 and HB-202 vaccines) in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy prior to transoral robotic surgery (TORS), radiation therapy, or chemoradiation in treating patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)16 positive oropharyngeal cancer. HB-201 and HB-202 are vaccines that are made from a gene modified virus that targets specific antigens, such as HPV16, to stimulate the body to build an effective immune response to kill tumor cells. Carboplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works in a way similar to the anticancer drug cisplatin, but may be better tolerated than cisplatin. Carboplatin works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Paclitaxel is in a class of medications called antimicrotubule agents. It works by stopping the growth and spread of cancer cells. The combination of cancer vaccines and chemotherapy may increase tumor shrinkage to support subsequent surgery or reduce the amount of radiotherapy and chemotherapy needed that could improve overall outcomes and quality of life.
Inclusion Criteria
- Subjects must have pathologically confirmed HPV16-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx. Confirmed HPV-positive disease of other subsites are uncommon but also eligible
- HPV16 subtype demonstrated based on the following guidelines: * p16 immunohistochemistry (IHC) positivity is sufficient to enroll and initiate treatment (p16 IHC interpretation to follow guidelines by Jordan and Lingen et al) * HPV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) must demonstrate HPV16 subtype * Following p16 IHC positivity, HPV16 is to be demonstrated using HPV PCR which is anticipated to result prior to cycle 1 day 15 of the induction phase when HB-201 therapy will be incorporated. ~90% of p16+ OPC is associated with HPV16. Therefore it is anticipated that ~10% of patients will be considered screen failures and come off study if their HPV subtyping demonstrates non-HPV16 associated disease
- Patients must be at least 18 years of age
- Subjects with American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) (8th edition, 2018) N1 (if solitary lymph node must be >= 3cm), N2-N3 nodal disease or T3-T4 primary tumor (with any N)
- Measurable disease (either primary site and/or nodal disease) by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 criteria
- No previous radiation or chemotherapy for a head and neck cancer
- No complete surgical resection for a head and neck cancer within 8 weeks of enrollment (although lymph node biopsy including excision of an individual node with presence of residual nodal disease, or surgical biopsy/excision of the tumor with residual measurable disease is acceptable.) No surgical procedures or biopsies will occur after baseline scans are performed and measurable lesions are identified
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1
- Leukocytes >= 3000/mm^3
- Platelets >= 100,000/mm^3
- Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500
- Hemoglobin >= 9.0 mg/dL
- Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) =< 2.5x upper limit of normal
- Alkaline phosphatase =< 2.5x upper limit of normal
- Albumin > 2.9 gm/dL
- Total bilirubin =< 1.5 mg/dL
- Creatinine clearance > 45 mL/min, normal within 2 weeks prior to start of treatment (Of note, the standard Cockcroft and Gault formula must be used to calculate creatinine clearance [CrCl] for enrollment or dosing)
- Patients must be considered to be a candidate to receive cisplatin by the treating physician
- Patients must sign a study-specific informed consent form prior to study entry. Patients should have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document
- Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test (minimum sensitivity 25 IU/L or equivalent units of human chorionic gonadotropin [HCG]) within 24 hours prior to the start of study drug
- Women must not be breastfeeding
- Women of childbearing potential must agree to follow instructions for method(s) of contraception for the duration of treatment
- Men who are sexually active with women of childbearing potential must agree to follow instructions for method(s) of contraception for the duration of treatment with study drug(s)
Exclusion Criteria
- Unequivocal demonstration of distant metastatic disease (M1 disease)
- Non-HPV16 subtype
- Unidentifiable primary site
- Intercurrent medical illnesses that impairs the patient’s tolerance to therapy or limits survival. This includes but is not limited to ongoing or active infection, immunodeficiency, symptomatic congestive heart failure, pulmonary dysfunction, cardiomyopathy, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance. Patients with clinically stable and/or chronically managed medical illnesses that are not symptomatic and/or are not expected to impact treatment on protocol are still eligible (conditions to be reviewed by the principal investigator [PI] to confirm eligibility)
- Subject with low risk N1 disease (defined as single lymph node < 3cm)
- Active, known, or suspected, autoimmune or inflammatory disorders requiring immunosuppressive therapy, with the exception of low-dose prednisone (=< 10mg or equivalent). The following are exceptions to these criteria: * Patients with vitiligo or alopecia * Patients with hypothyroidism (e.g., following Hashimoto syndrome) stable on hormone replacement * Any chronic skin condition that does not require systemic treatment
- Treatment with immunosuppressive or replacement medication: * Immunosuppressive doses of systemic medication, such as steroids or absorbed topical steroids (doses > 10 mg/day prednisone or equivalent), within 14 days of the first administration of study treatment ** Note: inhaled or topical steroids and adrenal replacement in doses equivalent to > 10 mg/day prednisone are permitted in the absence of active autoimmune disease * Any chronic immunosuppressive medication within 6 months prior to the first administration of study treatment (unless agreed otherwise between the Sponsor and the Principal Investigator on a case-by-case basis) * Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in 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
- Patients who have had a prior anaphylactic or other severe reaction to human immunoglobulin or antibody formulation administration
- Herbal remedies with immune-stimulating properties are known to potentially interfere with major organ function within 28 days prior to the first dose of study treatment, unless agreed otherwise with the primary investigator
- Prior surgical therapy other than incisional/excisional biopsy or organ-sparing procedures such as debulking of airway-compromising tumors. Residual measurable tumor is required for enrollment as discussed above
- Patients receiving other investigational agents
- Prior systemic anti-cancer treatment within the last 8 weeks
- 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 or any tumors that are not likely to influence life expectancy in the subsequent 3 years without active treatment
- Has known history of, or any evidence of active, non-infectious pneumonitis
- Has known active hepatitis B or hepatitis C. If eradicated, patient is eligible
- Has received a live vaccine within 28 days of planned start of study therapy
Additional locations may be listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for NCT05108870.
Locations matching your search criteria
United States
Illinois
Chicago
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) in terms of safety and tolerability for: (Phase I)
Ia. HPV E6/E7-encoding arenavirus vaccine HB-201 (HB-201) monotherapy in combination with chemotherapy in patients with HPV 16+ oropharyngeal cancer (OPC);
Ib. HB-201 & HPV 16 E6/E7-encoding arenavirus vaccine HB-202 (HB-202) alternating two-vector therapy in combination with chemotherapy in patients with HPV16+ OPC.
II. To assess the deep response rate (DRR) with neoadjuvant HB-201 & HB-202 alternating two-vector therapy + chemotherapy. (Phase II)
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
I. Assess correlation between plasma HPV-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and tumor HPV-DNA. (Phase I)
II. Assess changes in plasma HPV-DNA during neoadjuvant HB-201 monotherapy or HB-201 & HB-202 alternating two-vector therapy + chemotherapy. (Phase I)
III. Toxicity and safety of HB-201 & HB-202 alternating two-vector therapy + chemotherapy in the setting of a definitive treatment paradigm for HPV+ OPC. (Phase II)
IV. Estimate the pathologic response in patients undergoing TORS following neoadjuvant HB-201 & HB-202 alternating two-vector therapy + chemotherapy. (Phase II)
V. Assess progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), locoregional control (LRC), and distant control (DC) of HPV+ OPC receiving treatment with neoadjuvant HB-201 & HB-202 alternating two-vector therapy + chemotherapy followed by risk and response-stratified de-escalated therapy. (Phase II)
EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:
I. Correlate plasma HPV-DNA with sputum HPV-DNA in patients with locoregional HPV+ OPC receiving treatment with neoadjuvant HB201+chemotherapy. (Phase I)
II. Assess viral shedding in urine, saliva, feces, blood and neutralizing antibodies in plasma during treatment with HB-201 monotherapy or HB-201 & HB-202 alternating two-vector therapy with chemotherapy. (Phase I)
III. Characterize and assess functionality of antigen specific T-cells in patients’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) being treated with HB-201 monotherapy or HB-201 & HB-202 alternating two-vector therapy with chemotherapy.
IV. Assess long-term/late toxicities including enteral tube dependence.
V. Correlate plasma HPV-DNA with sputum HPV-DNA in patients with locoregional HPV+ OPC receiving treatment with neoadjuvant HB-201 monotherapy or HB-201 & HB-202 alternating two-vector therapy + chemotherapy. (Phase II)
VI. Assess viral shedding in urine, saliva, feces, and blood and neutralizing antibodies during treatment with HB-201 monotherapy or HB-201 & HB-202 alternating two-vector therapy with chemotherapy. (Phase II)
VII. Evaluate quality of life in patients who receive dose-reduced chemoradiotherapy or TORS. (Phase II)
VIII. Assess the feasibility of utilizing cfHPV-DNA to select patients for dose-reduced chemoradiotherapy or TORS and compare with radiographic chemoselection criteria. (Phase II)
OUTLINE: This is a phase I, dose-escalation study of HB-201 alone and HB-201/HB202 combination followed by a phase II study.
PHASE I: Patients are assigned to 1 of 2 arms.
ARM A: Patients receive HB-201 intravenously (IV) on day 15, carboplatin IV on day 1, and paclitaxel IV on days 1, 8, and 15 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 28 days for cycle 1, and every 21 days for cycles 2 and 3 in the absence of progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo a computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as blood sample collection throughout the trial. Patients may undergo a tumor biopsy during screening and on study. Patients may also undergo a panendoscopy during screening.
ARM B: Patients receive HB-201 IV on cycle 2 day 15, HB-202 IV on cycle 1 day 15 and cycle 3 day 15, carboplatin IV on day 1 and paclitaxel IV on days 1,8 and 15 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 28 days for cycle 1, and every 21 days for cycles 2 and 3 in the absence of progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo a CT, PET, and/or MRI, as well as blood sample collection throughout the trial. Patients may undergo a tumor biopsy during screening and on study. Patients may also undergo a panendoscopy during screening.
PHASE II:
Patients receive HB-201 IV at the RP2D on cycle 2 day 15, HB-202 IV at the RP2D on cycle 1 day 15 and cycle 3 day 15, carboplatin IV on day 1 and paclitaxel IV on days 1, 8, and 15 of each cycle. Cycles repeat every 28 days for cycle 1, and every 21 days for cycles 2 and 3 in the absence of progression or unacceptable toxicity. Based on initial risk stratification and response to HB-201 and HB-202 alternating two-vector therapy (cfHPV-DNA levels and tumor size), patients may undergo TORS with or without radiation therapy, RT alone, or RT with cisplatin IV on study. Patients undergo a CT, PET, and/or MRI, as well as blood sample collection throughout the trial. Patients may undergo a tumor biopsy during screening and on study. Patients may also undergo a panendoscopy during screening.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up for up to 5 years.
Trial PhasePhase I/II
Trial Typetreatment
Lead OrganizationUniversity of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center
Principal InvestigatorAri Joseph Rosenberg
- Primary IDIRB21-1031
- Secondary IDsNCI-2022-07603
- ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT05108870