RecruitingPhase 2

Thoracic Radiotherapy and Inhibition of PD-1 and LAG-3 for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

TRIPL: Thoracic Radiotherapy and Inhibition of PD-1 and LAG-3 for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

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 cemiplimab and fianlimab, drugs that help the immune system fight cancer, along with chest radiation. It is for people with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread nearby and will be treated without surgery. PET scans will check how the cancer responds after three rounds of these drugs without chemotherapy.

Determine anti-tumor efficacy by characterizing response rates on positron emission tomography (PET) following three cycles of induction immunotherapy with cemiplimab and fianlimab without chemotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC).

Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.

Eligibility

Who can join

  • Have non-small cell lung cancer confirmed by a tissue sample, with at least one tumor that can be measured on a scan.
  • Have stage II cancer that cannot be removed by surgery, or stage III cancer suited for treatment without surgery. Prior surgery or focused radiation for early-stage cancer is allowed; otherwise, the cancer must be untreated.
  • Be able to receive standard treatment without surgery: chemotherapy with radiation, followed by durvalumab.
  • Have a tumor sample tested for PD-L1, a protein that can affect the immune response to cancer.
  • Have a whole-body PET/CT showing cancer activity in the lungs or chest lymph nodes, a brain MRI or head CT with contrast, and breathing tests within 42 days before joining.
  • Be able to care for yourself and be out of bed or a chair at least half the day. Blood counts and liver, kidney, and other organ function must meet study limits.
  • Not be pregnant or breastfeeding. Follow the study's birth control rules during treatment and afterward, generally for at least 6 months and longer for some chemotherapy drugs. Men must also avoid donating sperm during this time.
  • You or your legal representative must sign a form agreeing to join.

Who can't join

  • Have certain EGFR gene changes or an ALK gene fusion in the cancer, or have previously received drugs that block PD-1, PD-L1, or LAG-3.
  • Be in another study of an experimental drug, or have used an experimental drug or device within 4 weeks before the first study dose.
  • Have another active cancer that needs treatment other than hormone therapy and is likely to affect how long you live.
  • Have current lung inflammation, past lung inflammation not caused by infection that needed steroids, or a history of heart muscle inflammation. High troponin, a blood marker of heart injury, may also rule you out.
  • Have an autoimmune disease, where the immune system attacks the body, that needed immune-suppressing drugs within 2 years; some conditions are allowed. A weak immune system, recent immune-suppressing treatment, or ongoing steroids above the study limit also rules you out.
  • Have active TB, an infection needing treatment, or a significant infection needing antibiotics within 2 weeks before treatment. Uncontrolled HIV or hepatitis B or C rules you out; controlled infections may be allowed with specialist care and monitoring.
  • Be pregnant, have a mental health or substance use condition that prevents following study rules, or have a known allergy to the study drugs or their ingredients.
  • Have received a live vaccine within 30 days before starting treatment. COVID-19 vaccines must also follow the study's timing rules.

Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Previously untreated and biopsy-proven NSCLC, with measurable disease (at least 1 unidimensional, radiographically measurable lesion based on RECIST v1.1) and one of the following stages: (prior resection or stereotactic radiotherapy for early-stage disease is allowed) * AJCC version 8 Stage II disease, medically or technically unresectable * AJCC version 8 Stage III disease, eligible for non-surgical treatment * Determination of PD-L1 expression on pretreatment tumor specimen using a clinically validated assay * Eligible for standard nonsurgical treatment for Stage III NSCLC, i.e., chemotherapy and concurrent RT followed by adjuvant durvalumab * Whole body PET/CT within 42 days prior to study entry demonstrating hypermetabolic pulmonary lesion(s) and/or thoracic lymph node(s) * MRI of the brain or head CT with contrast within 42 days prior to study entry * PFTs within 42 days of study entry * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2 * Adequate end-organ function for study therapy, as per clinician assessment and including: * Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 x 109/L (\> 1500 per mm3) * Platelet count ≥ 100 x 109/L (\>100,000 per mm3) * Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN). This will not apply to subjects with confirmed Gilbert's syndrome (persistent or recurrent hyperbilirubinemia that is predominantly unconjugated in the absence of hemolysis or hepatic pathology), who will be allowed only in consultation with their physician * AST (SGOT)/ALT (SGPT), and alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) * Serum creatinine clearance \>30 mL/min by the Cockcroft-Gault formula (as below) or by 24-hour urine collection for determination of creatinine clearance: (except for patients planned to receive pemetrexed, in which case serum creatinine clearance needs to \>45 ml/min) * Males: Weight (kg) x (140 - Age) ÷ (72 x serum creatinine (mg/dL)) * Females: 0.85 x Weight (kg) x (140 - Age) ÷ (72 x serum creatinine (mg/dL)) * A female participant is eligible to participate if she is not pregnant (see Exclusion Criteria), not breastfeeding, and at least one of the following conditions applies: * Not a woman of childbearing potential (WOCBP) as defined in the Appendix * A WOCBP who agrees to follow the contraceptive guidance in the Appendix during the treatment period and for at least 6 months (180 days) after the last dose of study treatment with cemiplimab and fianlimab * A WOCBP who agrees to follow the contraceptive guidance in the Appendix and for at least 6 months after the last dose of chemotherapy or as specified in FDA prescribing labels (e.g. 14 months after the last dose of cisplatin) * A male participant must agree to use contraception during the treatment period and for at least 6 months after the last dose of study treatment and refrain from donating sperm during this period * The participant (or legally acceptable representative if applicable) provides written informed consent for the trial Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of known sensitizing epidermal growth factor (EGFR) mutation or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion o Determination of EGFR/ALK mutation status is required for non-squamous cell carcinoma histologies and recommended for squamous cell carcinoma * Prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or LAG-3 inhibitor * Patient currently participating in or has participated in a study of an investigational agent or has used an investigational device within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study treatment * Active malignancy other than lung cancer that (1) requires active treatment other than hormonal therapy and (2) is deemed by the treating physicians to be likely to affect the patient's life expectancy * A history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or current pneumonitis * Known history of myocarditis * Troponin T (TnT) or troponin I (TnI) \> 2x institutional ULN at baseline. Patients with TnT or TnI levels between \> 1 to 2x ULN are permitted if repeat levels within 24 hours are ≤ 1x ULN. If TnT or TnI levels are \> 1 to 2x ULN within 24 hours, the subject may undergo a cardiac evaluation and be considered for treatment by the investigator based on the medical judgement in the patient's best interest * Known active Bacillus Tuberculosis (TB) * Known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial * Pregnancy, assessed with urine pregnancy test within 72 hours prior to study treatment allocation. If urine pregnancy test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test is required. If more than 72 hours elapse between screening pregnancy test and the first dose of study treatment, another pregnancy test (urine or serum) must be performed and must be negative * Ongoing or recent (within 2 years) evidence of an autoimmune disease that required systemic treatment with immunosuppressive agents. The following are non-exclusionary: vitiligo, childhood asthma that has resolved, residual hypothyroidism that requires only hormone replacement, psoriasis not requiring systemic treatment * History or current evidence of significant (CTCAE grade ≥2) local or systemic infection (e.g., cellulitis, pneumonia, septicemia) requiring systemic antibiotic treatment within 2 weeks prior to the first dose of trial medication * Active infection requiring therapy * Uncontrolled infection with HIV, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), or Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection; or diagnosis of immunodeficiency that is related to, or results in chronic infection * Patients with known HIV who have controlled infection (undetectable viral load and CD4 count above 350 either spontaneously or on a stable antiviral regimen) are permitted. For patients with controlled HIV infection, monitoring will be performed per local standards * Patients with known hepatitis B (HepBsAg+) who have controlled infection (serum hepatitis B virus DNA PCR that is below the limit of detection AND receiving anti-viral therapy for hepatitis B) are permitted. Patients with controlled infections must undergo periodic monitoring of HBV DNA per local standards and must remain on anti-viral therapy for at least 6 months beyond the last dose of investigational study drug * Patients who are known hepatitis C virus antibody positive (HCV Ab+) who have controlled infection (undetectable HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) either spontaneously or in response to a successful prior course of anti-HCV therapy) are permitted * Patients with HIV or hepatitis must be reviewed by a qualified specialist (e.g., infectious disease or hepatologist) managing this disease prior to commencing and regularly throughout the duration of their participation in the trial * Diagnosis of immunodeficiency or ongoing chronic systemic steroid therapy (in dosing exceeding 10 mg daily of prednisone equivalent) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of study drug * Known hypersensitivity to the active substances or to any of the excipients * Received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study medication o Live or live attenuated vaccination with replicating potential. If a patient intends to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before the start of study drug, participation in the study should be delayed at least 1 week after any COVID-19 vaccination. During the treatment period, it is recommended to delay COVID-19 vaccination until patients are receiving and tolerating a steady dose of study drug. A vaccine dose should not be less than 48 hours before or after study drug dosing

Study sites (1)

NY