KEYMAKER-U01 Substudy 01A: Efficacy and Safety Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) With or Without Chemotherapy When Used With Investigational Agents in Treatment-naïve Participants With Stage IV Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (MK-3475-01A/KEYMAKER-U01A)
KEYMAKER-U01 Substudy 01A: A Phase 1/2, Umbrella Study With Rolling Arms of Investigational Agents With Pembrolizumab With or Without Chemotherapy in Treatment-Naive Participants With Stage IV Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
Who can join
As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.
- Age
- 18 Years and older
- Sex
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Compensation
- Not stated
Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.
What to expect
No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.
What participation involves
Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.
- Compensation
- Not stated
- Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
- Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
- Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
- Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.
About this study
In plain language
This study tests how well pembrolizumab works and how safe it is when given with study drugs, with or without chemotherapy. It is for people with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer who have not had whole-body treatment for their cancer since it spread.
The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab (MK-3475) with or without chemotherapy in combination with vibostolimab (MK-7684), boserolimab (MK-5890), MK-4830, MK-0482, I-DXd, or HER3-DXd in treatment-naïve participants with advanced squamous or non-squamous NSCLC. This study is one of the pembrolizumab substudies being conducted under one pembrolizumab umbrella master protocol (MK-3475-U01/KEYMAKER-U01).
Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.
Eligibility
Who can join
- Have stage IV non-small cell lung cancer confirmed by a tissue or cell test. This means the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body.
- If you have the nonsquamous type, you must not qualify for an approved treatment that targets specific changes in the cancer.
- Be able to provide a stored tumor sample that meets the study’s timing rules, or a new sample from a tumor that has not had radiation. A new sample must be taken within 90 days before treatment starts.
- Have had no whole-body treatment for your lung cancer since it spread.
- Be able to finish screening tests within 35 days for Part A or 28 days for Part B.
Who can't join
- Have small cell lung cancer, another cancer that is growing or needed treatment in the past 2 years, or active cancer spread to the brain, spinal cord, or their lining.
- Have a weak immune system; recently used medicines that weaken it, including daily steroids above the allowed dose; or have an autoimmune disease that needed whole-body treatment in the past 2 years. Autoimmune diseases cause the body to attack its own healthy cells.
- Have current lung inflammation, past lung inflammation not caused by infection that needed steroids, an infection needing whole-body treatment, or serious heart disease.
- Have HIV that is not well controlled, active hepatitis C, or hepatitis B that does not meet treatment rules. Well-controlled HIV is allowed. People with a positive hepatitis B surface test may qualify after at least 4 weeks of antiviral treatment if the virus cannot be detected.
- Have certain gut or liver problems that affect how oral medicines work, moderate nerve damage, or certain serious belly conditions while getting chemotherapy. People getting pemetrexed must be willing and able to take folic acid and vitamin B12.
- Have had major surgery less than 3 weeks before treatment, certain recent cancer treatments, high-dose lung radiation within 6 months, or cancer treatment side effects that have not improved enough. Needing other cancer treatment during the study also rules you out.
- Have had a severe allergic reaction to antibody treatments or are sensitive to listed chemotherapy ingredients; stopped prior immune treatment because of severe immune side effects; or received donor tissue or an organ transplant.
- Have received a live vaccine within 30 days, an unapproved study vaccine, or used a study drug or device within 4 weeks before treatment. Certain approved COVID-19 vaccines are allowed.
Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.
Official eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: The main inclusion criteria include but are not limited to the following: * Has histologically- or cytologically-confirmed diagnosis of Stage IV squamous or nonsquamous NSCLC * Participants with nonsquamous NSCLC who are not eligible for an approved targeted therapy * Is able to provide archival tumor tissue sample collected either within 5 years or within the interval from completion of last treatment but before entering the screening period or newly obtained core or excisional biopsy of a tumor lesion not previously irradiated obtained within 90 days of treatment initiation * Has not received prior systemic treatment for their metastatic NSCLC * Is able to complete all screening procedures within the 35-day screening window for Part A and 28-day screening window for Part B Exclusion Criteria: The main exclusion criteria include but are not limited to the following: * Has a diagnosis of small cell lung cancer * Has a 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 before the first dose of study treatment * Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or has required active treatment within the past 2 years * Has known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis * Has an active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years * Has a history of (noninfectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or has current pneumonitis * Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy * Has clinically significant cardiac disease, including unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction within 6 months from Day 1 of study treatment administration, or New York Heart Association Class III or IV congestive heart failure * Has a known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Well-controlled HIV with anti-retroviral therapy (ART) is not excluded * Has a known history of Hepatitis B (HPV) or known active Hepatitis C virus infection. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive is eligible if on HBV antiviral therapy for at least 4 weeks and HBV viral load is undetectable prior to randomization * Has had major surgery \<3 weeks before the first dose of study treatment * Is expected to require any other form of antineoplastic therapy while on study * Has a history or current evidence of a gastrointestinal (GI) condition (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis) or impaired liver function or diseases that in the opinion of the investigator may significantly alter the absorption or metabolism of oral medications * Is getting chemotherapy and has clinically active diverticulitis, intra-abdominal abscess, GI obstruction, or peritoneal carcinomatosis * Has preexisting neuropathy that is moderate in intensity * Has received prior systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy or other targeted or biological antineoplastic therapy for metastatic disease * Is unable or unwilling to take folic acid or vitamin B12 supplementation, for participants who will receive pemetrexed * Has a known sensitivity to any component of carboplatin, paclitaxel, pemetrexed or any of their excipients * Has received prior radiation therapy to the lung that is \>30 Gray (Gy) within 6 months of the first dose of study treatment * Has received a live vaccine within 30 days before the first dose of study treatment. Any licensed COVID-19 vaccine (including for Emergency Use) in a particular country is allowed as long as they are messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines, adenoviral vaccines, or inactivated vaccines. Investigational vaccines (ie, those not licensed or approved for Emergency Use) are not allowed * Has received any prior immunotherapy and was discontinued from that treatment due to a severe or worse immune-related adverse event (irAE) * Has had chemotherapy or biological cancer therapy within 4 weeks before the first dose of study treatment or has not recovered to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Grade 1 or better from the AEs due to cancer therapeutics administered more than 4 weeks before the first dose of study treatment (including participants who had previous immunomodulatory therapy with residual irAEs) * Is currently participating in or has participated in a study of an investigational agent or has used an investigational device within 4 weeks before the first dose of study treatment * Previously had a severe hypersensitivity reaction to treatment with monoclonal antibodies (including pembrolizumab) and/or any of their excipients * Has had an allogenic tissue/solid organ transplant
Study sites (18)
AZ
- Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center ( Site 0001) · Gilbert, AZ 85234More trials in Gilbert
CA
- City of Hope ( Site 0014) · Duarte, CA 91010More trials in Duarte
- UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay ( Site 0007) · San Francisco, CA 94158More trials in San Francisco
DC
- Georgetown University ( Site 0036) · Washington D.C., DC 20007More trials in Washington D.C.
KY
- University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center ( Site 0019) · Lexington, KY 40536-0293More trials in Lexington
MA
- Massachusetts General Hospital ( Site 0003) · Boston, MA 02114More trials in Boston
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute ( Site 0002) · Boston, MA 02215More trials in Boston
MD
- MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center ( Site 0033) · Baltimore, MD 21237More trials in Baltimore
ND
- Sanford Fargo Medical Center ( Site 0039) · Fargo, ND 58102Study Coordinator · Study contact · 701-234-2000More trials in Fargo
NE
- Oncology Hematology West, PC DBA Nebraska Cancer Specialists ( Site 0031) · Omaha, NE 68130More trials in Omaha
NH
- Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center ( Site 0016) · Lebanon, NH 03766Study Coordinator · Study contact · 603-650-4428More trials in Lebanon
NJ
- John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center ( Site 0037) · Hackensack, NJ 07601More trials in Hackensack
NY
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center ( Site 0034) · New York, NY 10016More trials in New York
OH
- Cleveland Clinic Main ( Site 0006) · Cleveland, OH 44195More trials in Cleveland
- The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University Comprehensive C ( Site 0015) · Columbus, OH 43210Study Coordinator · Study contact · 614-366-0233More trials in Columbus
PA
- Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania ( Site 0010) · Philadelphia, PA 19104Study Coordinator · Study contact · 215-220-9703More trials in Philadelphia
SD
- Sanford Cancer Center ( Site 0038) · Sioux Falls, SD 57104Study Coordinator · Study contact · 605-328-8000More trials in Sioux Falls
TX
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ( Site 0009) · Houston, TX 77030Study Coordinator · Study contact · 844-465-0138More trials in Houston