Induction Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy Followed by Pembrolizumab Before Chemoradiation and Pembrolizumab Maintenance Compared to Standard Chemoradiation With Pembrolizumab Followed by Pembrolizumab Maintenance in High-Risk Cervical Cancer

Brief Summary
This phase III trial compares the addition of induction chemotherapy, with carboplatin, paclitaxel and pembrolizumab, to chemotherapy and radiation, with cisplatin and pembrolizumab followed by pembrolizumab maintenance for the treatment of patients with cervical cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or lymph nodes (locally advanced). 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 stops cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. 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. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Cisplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells. Adding induction chemotherapy to the usual treatment of chemotherapy and radiation followed by maintenance may be more effective in treating patients with high risk, locally advanced cervical cancer.
Brief Title
Induction Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy Followed by Pembrolizumab Before Chemoradiation and Pembrolizumab Maintenance Compared to Standard Chemoradiation With Pembrolizumab Followed by Pembrolizumab Maintenance in High-Risk Cervical Cancer
Detailed Description
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine whether induction immunotherapy (IO) and chemotherapy prior to concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) + IO improves progression-free survival (PFS) compared to CCRT+IO alone.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess whether induction IO and chemotherapy prior to CCRT+IO improves the overall survival (OS) compared to CCRT+IO alone.

II. To determine the nature and degree of toxicity of induction IO and chemotherapy prior to CCRT + IO as compared to concurrent CCRT+IO as assessed by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version (v) 5.0.

III. To determine the impact on CCRT start, CCRT completion time, and number of cycles of cisplatin administered; with induction IO and chemotherapy prior to CCRT+IO arm as compared to CCRT+IO.

IV. To assess the association between allostatic load and PFS/OS. V. To assess the predictive value of the integrated biomarker: PD-L1 expression at baseline for progression free survival.

VI. To assess the prognostic and predictive value of the integrated biomarker: circulating tumor deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA) at baseline and at 3 months post radiation therapy (RT) for progression free survival.

VII. To explore radiotherapy quality pretreatment scores conducted by expert review with assistance from artificial intelligence (AI) models and correlation with outcomes.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess the evolution of T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire on treatment and its correlation with clinical outcomes.

II. To identify pre-treatment tumor microenvironment biomarkers predictive of outcomes.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM 1:

CHEMORADIATION: Patients receive cisplatin intravenously (IV) once weekly (QW) for 5 weeks and pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes every 3 weeks (Q3W) for 5 doses. Patients also undergo radiation therapy once daily 5 days per week for 25-29 treatments in weeks 1-5 followed by brachytherapy up to twice per week for 4-5 treatments in weeks 5-7. Treatment is given in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity

MAINTENANCE: Patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes every 6 weeks (Q6W) for 15 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Patients undergo positron emission tomography (PET) scan, computed tomography (CT) scan, chest x-ray and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and blood sample collection throughout the study.

ARM 2:

INDUCTION: Patients receive carboplatin IV and paclitaxel IV QW on weeks 1-3 and pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes Q3W on weeks 1 for each cycle. Cycles repeat every 3 weeks for 2 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

CHEMORADIATION: Patients receive cisplatin IV QW for 5 weeks and pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes every Q3W for 5 doses. Patients also undergo radiation therapy once daily 5 days per week for 25-29 treatments in weeks 7-11 followed by brachytherapy up to twice per week for 4-5 treatments in weeks 11-13. Treatment is given in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity

MAINTENANCE: Patients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes Q6W for 14 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Patients undergo PET scan, CT scan, chest x-ray and/or MRI and blood sample collection throughout the study.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 3 months for 2 years then every 6 months for 3 years.
Completion Date
Completion Date Type
Estimated
Conditions
Locally Advanced Cervical Adenocarcinoma
Locally Advanced Cervical Adenosquamous Carcinoma
Locally Advanced Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Stage IIIA Cervical Cancer FIGO 2018
Stage IIIB Cervical Cancer FIGO 2018
Stage IIIC1 Cervical Cancer FIGO 2018
Stage IIIC2 Cervical Cancer FIGO 2018
Stage IVA Cervical Cancer FIGO 2018
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients must have pathologically confirmed newly diagnosed cervical cancer. Eligible pathologic types: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous cell carcinoma
* Patients must have locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) with T3 or T4 disease with or without lymph node involvement:

* IIIA (T3aN0M0)
* IIIB (T3bN0M0)
* IIIC1(T3aN1M0, T3bN1M0)
* IIIC2 (T3aN2M0, T3bN2M0)
* IVA (T4aN0M0, T4aN1M0, T4aN2M0) No prior hysterectomy defined as removal of the entire uterus.
* NOTE: prior partial/subtotal hysterectomy for reasons other than cervical cancer are eligible to participate in the study. No plan to perform a hysterectomy as part of initial cervical cancer therapy.

No paraaortic lymph node (PALN) metastases above the T12/L1 interspace.

* Note: Nodal status can be confirmed by imaging (CT, MRI, or PET/CT), fine needle aspirate/core biopsy, extra peritoneal biopsy, laparoscopic biopsy, or lymphadenectomy.

Radiologic definition of lymph node staging:

* N1:

* One or more pelvic lymph nodes with short axis diameter of ≥ 15 mm (axial plane) by CT or MRI, and/or
* One or more pelvic lymph nodes with short axis diameter of ≥ 10 mm and standardized uptake value maximum (SUVmax) ≥ 2.5 by fludeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET
* N2:

* One or more para-aortic lymph node with short axis diameter of ≥ 15 mm (axial plane) by CT or MRI, and/or
* One or more para-aortic lymph node with short axis diameter of ≥ 10 mm and SUVmax ≥ 2.5 by FDG-PET

* No prior definitive surgical, radiation, or systemic therapy for cervical cancer
* No prior immunotherapy
* No prior pelvic radiation therapy for any disease
* Age ≥ 18
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of ≤ 2
* Not pregnant and not nursing
* Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1,500 cells/mm\^3
* Platelets ≥ 100,000 cells/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dl (Note: The use of transfusion or other intervention to achieve hemoglobulin \[Hgb\] ≥ 8 g/dl is acceptable)
* Creatinine clearance (CrCL) of ≥ 50 mL/min by the Cockcroft-Gault formula
* Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) (patients with known Gilbert's disease who have bilirubin level ≤ 3 x institutional ULN may be enrolled)
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 3 x institutional ULN
* Patients with known history or current symptoms of cardiac disease, or history of treatment with cardiotoxic agents, should have a clinical risk assessment of cardiac function using the New York Heart Association Functional Classification. To be eligible for this trial, patients should be class 2B or better
* No active infection requiring parenteral antibiotics
* No live vaccine within 30 days prior to registration. Examples of live vaccines include, but are not limited to, the following: measles, mumps, rubella, varicella/zoster (chicken pox), yellow fever, rabies, Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG), and typhoid vaccine. Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally killed virus vaccines and are allowed; however, intranasal influenza vaccines are live attenuated vaccines and are not allowed
* No diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving chronic systemic steroid therapy (in dosing exceeding 10 mg daily of prednisone equivalent) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior registration
* No 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) is not considered a form of systemic treatment and is allowed
* No history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids, or current pneumonitis
* No history of allergic reaction to the study agent(s) or compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to the study agent(s) (or any of its excipients)
Inclusion Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients must have pathologically confirmed newly diagnosed cervical cancer. Eligible pathologic types: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous cell carcinoma
* Patients must have locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) with T3 or T4 disease with or without lymph node involvement:

* IIIA (T3aN0M0)
* IIIB (T3bN0M0)
* IIIC1(T3aN1M0, T3bN1M0)
* IIIC2 (T3aN2M0, T3bN2M0)
* IVA (T4aN0M0, T4aN1M0, T4aN2M0) No prior hysterectomy defined as removal of the entire uterus.
* NOTE: prior partial/subtotal hysterectomy for reasons other than cervical cancer are eligible to participate in the study. No plan to perform a hysterectomy as part of initial cervical cancer therapy.

No paraaortic lymph node (PALN) metastases above the T12/L1 interspace.

* Note: Nodal status can be confirmed by imaging (CT, MRI, or PET/CT), fine needle aspirate/core biopsy, extra peritoneal biopsy, laparoscopic biopsy, or lymphadenectomy.

Radiologic definition of lymph node staging:

* N1:

* One or more pelvic lymph nodes with short axis diameter of ≥ 15 mm (axial plane) by CT or MRI, and/or
* One or more pelvic lymph nodes with short axis diameter of ≥ 10 mm and standardized uptake value maximum (SUVmax) ≥ 2.5 by fludeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET
* N2:

* One or more para-aortic lymph node with short axis diameter of ≥ 15 mm (axial plane) by CT or MRI, and/or
* One or more para-aortic lymph node with short axis diameter of ≥ 10 mm and SUVmax ≥ 2.5 by FDG-PET

* No prior definitive surgical, radiation, or systemic therapy for cervical cancer
* No prior immunotherapy
* No prior pelvic radiation therapy for any disease
* Age ≥ 18
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of ≤ 2
* Not pregnant and not nursing
* Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1,500 cells/mm\^3
* Platelets ≥ 100,000 cells/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dl (Note: The use of transfusion or other intervention to achieve hemoglobulin \[Hgb\] ≥ 8 g/dl is acceptable)
* Creatinine clearance (CrCL) of ≥ 50 mL/min by the Cockcroft-Gault formula
* Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) (patients with known Gilbert's disease who have bilirubin level ≤ 3 x institutional ULN may be enrolled)
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 3 x institutional ULN
* Patients with known history or current symptoms of cardiac disease, or history of treatment with cardiotoxic agents, should have a clinical risk assessment of cardiac function using the New York Heart Association Functional Classification. To be eligible for this trial, patients should be class 2B or better
* No active infection requiring parenteral antibiotics
* No live vaccine within 30 days prior to registration. Examples of live vaccines include, but are not limited to, the following: measles, mumps, rubella, varicella/zoster (chicken pox), yellow fever, rabies, Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG), and typhoid vaccine. Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally killed virus vaccines and are allowed; however, intranasal influenza vaccines are live attenuated vaccines and are not allowed
* No diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving chronic systemic steroid therapy (in dosing exceeding 10 mg daily of prednisone equivalent) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior registration
* No 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) is not considered a form of systemic treatment and is allowed
* No history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids, or current pneumonitis
* No history of allergic reaction to the study agent(s) or compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to the study agent(s) (or any of its excipients)
Gender
Female
Gender Based
false
Healthy Volunteers
No
Last Update Submit Date
Minimum Age
18 Years
NCT Id
NCT07061977
Org Class
Nih
Org Full Name
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Org Study Id
NCI-2025-04695
Overall Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 3
Primary Completion Date
Primary Completion Date Type
Estimated
Official Title
NRG-GY037: A Phase III Study of Induction Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy Followed by Chemoradiation and Pembrolizumab Versus Chemoradiation and Pembrolizumab Both Followed by Pembrolizumab for High Risk Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer
Primary Outcomes
Outcome Description
Analysis will be performed using a one-sided log-rank test stratified by factors declared at randomization when (at least) 190 PFS events are observed in both arms. Patients will be grouped by their randomized treatment for intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses, supported by patients in ITT population. Treatment hazard ratio and confidence will be estimated using Cox proportional hazard models specified with a main effect for the randomized treatment assignment and stratified by factors declared at randomization. PFS at 2 years will be estimated using Kaplan-Meier method for each arm.
Outcome Measure
Progression free survival (PFS)
Outcome Time Frame
From randomization to time of progression or death from any cause, whichever occurs first, or date of last contact if neither progression nor death has occurred, up to 7 years
Secondary Ids
Secondary Id
NCI-2025-04695
Secondary Id
NRG-GY037
Secondary Id
NRG-GY037
Secondary Id
U10CA180868
Secondary Outcomes
Outcome Description
The OS treatment hypothesis test (Arm 2 versus \[vs.\] Arm 1) will be based on a 1-sided log-rank test, stratified by the factors specified at randomization. Comparisons of the OS distributions by treatment arm will be described using Kaplan-Meier methods. Treatment hazard ratio estimates and their 95% confidence intervals will be estimated using a multivariable proportional hazards model specified with main effects for the randomized treatment assignment (Arm 2 vs Arm 1) and stratified by the factors declared at randomization.
Outcome Time Frame
From randomization to death from any cause, up to 7 years
Outcome Measure
Overall survival (OS)
Outcome Description
Assessed by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0. The nature, frequency, and degree of toxicity will be tabulated at the System Organ Class and AE-specific term levels. Tabulations will show the number and percentage of patients by maximum grade, within the treatment group received, regardless of the randomized treatment assignment. Differences in the level of toxicities by treatment arm will be assessed by classifying them as severe (grade 3 or higher) or not severe (grade 2 or lower) and examining the relative proportion of severe toxicities by Fisher's exact test.
Outcome Time Frame
Up to 7 years
Outcome Measure
Incidence of adverse events (AEs)
Outcome Description
Will be summarized and compared using 2-sample Wilcoxon rank sum tests. The proportion of patients with a delayed time to initiate CCRT by 2 weeks or more will be estimated and investigated by Fisher's exact test.
Outcome Time Frame
From CCRT start date to CCRT end date
Outcome Measure
Duration of concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) completion
Outcome Description
Will be summarized and compared using 2-sample Wilcoxon rank sum tests.
Outcome Time Frame
From 7 days after the last dose of induction chemotherapy to the CCRT start date for Arm 2, the planned CCRT start date to actual CCRT start date for Arm 1
Outcome Measure
Number of cycles of cisplatin
Outcome Description
Will be summarized by treatment arm, and its association with OS will be evaluated using Cox PH model adjusted with main effects for the randomized treatment assignment (Arm 2 vs Arm 1) and stratified by the factors declared at randomization.
Outcome Time Frame
Up to 2 years
Outcome Measure
Allostatic load
Outcome Description
The predictive value of tumor PD-L1 expression at baseline for PFS will be investigated using Cox PH model adjusted with main effects for the randomized treatment assignment (Arm 2 vs Arm 1) and stratified by the factors declared at randomization.
Outcome Time Frame
At baseline
Outcome Measure
Tumor PD-L1 expression
Outcome Description
Will be summarized by treatment arm and by collection time. Will be investigated using Cox PH model adjusted with main effects for the randomized treatment assignment (Arm 2 vs Arm 1) and stratified by the factors declared at randomization.
Outcome Time Frame
At baseline and at 3 months post radiation therapy
Outcome Measure
Circulating tumor deoxyribonucleic acid expression
Outcome Description
Will be summarized by treatment arm, and its associations with PFS and OS will be evaluated using Cox PH model adjusted with main effects for the randomized treatment assignment (Arm 2 vs Arm 1) and stratified by the factors declared at randomization.
Outcome Time Frame
At time of radiation
Outcome Measure
Radiation quality pre-treatment score
Start Date
Start Date Type
Actual
Status Verified Date
First Submit Date
First Submit QC Date
Std Ages
Adult
Older Adult
Maximum Age Number (converted to Years and rounded down)
999
Minimum Age Number (converted to Years and rounded down)
18
Investigators
Investigator Type
Principal Investigator
Investigator Name
Nicole Nevadunsky
Investigator Email
nnevadun@montefiore.org
Investigator Phone
718-405-8082
Investigator Department
Obstetrics Gynecology and Womens Health
Investigator Division
Gynecological Oncology
Investigator Sponsor Organization
Montefiore
Study Department
Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women`s Health
Study Division
Gynecologic Oncology
MeSH Terms
SPECIMEN HANDLING
BRACHYTHERAPY
CARBOPLATIN
X-RAYS
CISPLATIN
1,2-DIAMINOCYCLOHEXANEPLATINUM II CITRATE
PLATINUM
CONGRESSES AS TOPIC
RADIATION
RADIOTHERAPY, INTENSITY-MODULATED
MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY
PACLITAXEL
TAXES
PEMBROLIZUMAB
CLINICAL LABORATORY TECHNIQUES
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES
DIAGNOSIS
INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES
RADIOTHERAPY
THERAPEUTICS
COORDINATION COMPLEXES
ORGANIC CHEMICALS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC PHENOMENA
MAGNETIC PHENOMENA
PHYSICAL PHENOMENA
RADIATION, IONIZING
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC CHEMICALS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PLATINUM COMPOUNDS
METALS, HEAVY
ELEMENTS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
METALS
ORGANIZATIONS
HEALTH CARE ECONOMICS AND ORGANIZATIONS
RADIOTHERAPY, CONFORMAL
RADIOTHERAPY, COMPUTER-ASSISTED
SPECTRUM ANALYSIS
CHEMISTRY TECHNIQUES, ANALYTICAL
TAXOIDS
CYCLODECANES
CYCLOPARAFFINS
HYDROCARBONS, ALICYCLIC
HYDROCARBONS, CYCLIC
HYDROCARBONS
DITERPENES
TERPENES
ECONOMICS