Overview

First-line CBDCA/PTX/LEN/Pembrolizumab Combination for Previously Untreated Advanced or Recurrent Thymic Carcinomas (Artemis)

Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2028-06-30
Target enrollment:
0
Participant gender:
All
Summary
A phase II, investigator-initiated, non-randomized, open-label, single-arm, multicenter study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Carboplatin/Paclitaxel/Lenvatinib/Pembrolizumab combination for previously untreated advanced or recurrent thymic carcinomas
Phase:
Phase 2
Accepts Healthy Volunteers?
No
Details
Lead Sponsor:
National Cancer Center, Japan
Collaborator:
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Treatments:
Carboplatin
Lenvatinib
Paclitaxel
Pembrolizumab
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients aged 18 years or older at the time of informed consent, who are
pathologically (histologically or cytologically) diagnosed with thymic carcinoma for
primary or metastatic thymic lesions, are included. They are preferred to be positive
for CD5 or c-KIT by immunohistochemical staining. For those with non-squamous
epithelial carcinoma negative for p40 or p63, non-primary cases should be excluded
based on their clinical and pathological findings. In addition, those with thymoma are
excluded.

2. Patients with unresectable advanced thymic carcinoma (equivalent to stage IVa or IVb
of Masaoka-Koga classification), metastatic or recurrent, who have not been treated
with systemic cancer chemotherapy.

Or, in the case of stage III Masaoka-Koga classification, patients who are judged to
be incapable of radical resection (R0 resection is not possible due to the combined
resection of invasive lesions in surrounding organs (pericardial sac, lung, great
vessels, etc.) or who are not eligible for curative treatment with chemoradiotherapy.
A history of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy is acceptable for
perioperative adjuvant therapy prior to the finding of recurrence. If
platinum-containing cancer chemotherapy has been administered as adjuvant therapy, it
is eligible if there is an interval of at least 24 weeks before registration.

3. No symptomatic brain metastases, carcinomatous meningitis, or spinal metastases
requiring radiotherapy or surgery

4. No prior history of an antiangiogenetic agent targeting VEGFR for thymic carcinoma

5. Not receiving radiotherapy within 14 days before registration Male participants

6. A male participant must agree to use contraception as detailed in Appendix 3 of this
protocol during the treatment period and for at least 135 days after the last dose of
study treatment and refrain from donating sperm during this period.

Female participants:

7. A female participant is eligible to participate if she is not pregnant (see Appendix
3), not breastfeeding, and at least one of the following conditions applies:

1. Not a woman of childbearing potential (WOCBP) as defined in Appendix 3 OR

2. A WOCBP who agrees to follow the contraceptive guidance in Appendix 3 during the
treatment period and for at least 120 days after the last dose of study
treatment.

8. The participant provides written informed consent for the trial

9. Have measurable disease based on RECIST 1.1. Lesions situated in a previously
irradiated area are considered measurable if progression has been demonstrated in such
lesions

10. Meet the following criteria for Hepatitis B and C Patients with no history of HBV or
HCV infection or who meet the following criteria 10.1 Hepatitis B positive subjects
Participants who are HBsAg positive are eligible if they have received HBV antiviral
therapy for at least 4 weeks and have an undetectable HBV viral load prior to
registration.

Participants should remain on anti-viral therapy throughout the study intervention and
follow local guidelines for HBV anti-viral therapy post-completion of the study
intervention.

10.2 Participants with a history of HCV infection Participants are eligible if HCV
viral load is undetectable at screening. Participants must have completed curative
anti-viral therapy at least 4 weeks prior to registration.

11. Have provided archival tumor tissue sample or newly obtained core or excisional biopsy
of a tumor lesion not previously irradiated. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE)
tissue blocks are preferred to slides. Newly obtained biopsies are preferred to
archived tissue.

12. Have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 1.
Evaluation of ECOG is to be performed within 14 days before registration.

13. Have adequate organ function as defined in the following table (Table 8). Specimens
must be collected within 14 days prior to registration.

14. Have a predicted life expectancy of >12 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Has diagnosed as thymomas

2. Has related immune-related complications such as myasthenia gravis, pure red cell
aplasia, or hypogammaglobulinemia

3. Patients with ECG QT correction interval prolongation or history of such prolongation
(patients with QTcF > 480 ms)

4. Has a LVEF below the institutional normal range, as determined by multigated
acquisition (MUGA) or echocardiogram (ECHO)

5. A WOCBP who has a positive urine pregnancy test within 72 hours prior to registration
(see Appendix 3). If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a
serum pregnancy test will be required

6. Has urine protein ≥1 g/24 hours Note: Participants with proteinuria ≥2+ (≥100 mg/dL)
on urine dipstick testing (urinalysis) will undergo 24-hour urine collection for
quantitative assessment of proteinuria

7. Has had major surgery within 3 weeks prior to the first dose of study interventions

8. Has clinically significant cardiovascular disease within 12 months from the first dose
of study intervention, including New York Heart Association Class III or IV congestive
heart failure, unstable angina, myocardial infarction, cerebral vascular accident, or
cardiac arrhythmia associated with hemodynamic instability

9. Has any of the following a) to i):

1. History of interstitial pneumonia or evidence of interstitial lung disease

2. Uncontrollable autoimmune disease receiving chronic systemic steroid therapy (in
dosing exceeding 10 mg daily of prednisone equivalent) or any other form of
immunosuppressive therapy

3. History or complications of hypertensive crisis or hypertensive encephalopathy

4. Surgery under general anesthesia within 28 days before registration

5. History of total gastrectomy

6. Complication of congenital bleeding predisposition or abnormal coagulation

7. Complication of Grade 3 or higher gastrointestinal or non-gastrointestinal
fistula with CTCAE v5.0

8. History of Grade 3 or higher bleeding (site not specified) with CTCAE v5.0 within
28 days prior to registration

9. Blood pressure is not well controlled (with 2 or fewer antihypertensive drugs* 2,
systolic blood pressure is 150 mmHg or less and diastolic blood pressure is 90
mmHg or less) *Antihypertensive drugs are counted by the number of compounds

10. Has radiographic evidence of encasement or invasion of a major blood vessel, or of
intratumoral cavitation.

11. Gastrointestinal malabsorption or any other condition that might affect the absorption
of lenvatinib

12. Active hemoptysis (bright red blood of at least 0.5 teaspoons) within 3 weeks prior to
the first dose of the study drug

13. Has received prior radiotherapy within 14 days before registration. Participants must
have recovered from all radiation-related toxicities, not require corticosteroids, and
not have had radiation pneumonitis. A 1-week washout is permitted for palliative
radiation (≤ 2 weeks of radiotherapy) to non-CNS disease

14. Has received a live vaccine or live-attenuated vaccine within 30 days prior to the
first dose of study drug. Administration of killed vaccines is allowed. Approved
COVID-19 vaccines (excluding live vaccines and/or live-attenuated vaccines) are
allowed

15. Is 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 intervention Note: Participants who have entered the follow-up phase of an
investigational study may participate as long as it has been 4 weeks after the last
dose of the previous investigational agent

16. 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 prior to the first dose of the study drug

17. Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or has required active treatment
within the past 3 years. Participants with basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous
cell carcinoma of the skin, or carcinoma in situ (eg, breast carcinoma, cervical
cancer in situ) that have undergone potentially curative therapy are not excluded

18. Has known active CNS metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. Participants with
previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they are radiologically
stable, i.e. without evidence of progression for at least 4 weeks by repeat imaging
(note that the repeat imaging should be performed during study screening),clinically
stable and without the requirement of steroid treatment for at least 14 days prior to
the first dose of the study intervention

19. Has severe hypersensitivity (≥ Grade 3) to pembrolizumab and/or any of its excipients

20. Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years
(i.e. with the 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 and is allowed

21. Has a history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease that required
steroids or has current pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease

22. Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy

23. Has a known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection

24. Concurrent active Hepatitis B ( defined as HBsAg positive and detectable HBV DNA) and
Hepatitis C virus (defined as anti-HCV Ab positive and detectable HCV RNA) infection

25. Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality
that might confound the results of the study, interfere with the participant's
participation for the full duration of the study, or is not in the best interest of
the participant to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator

26. Has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with
cooperation with the requirements of the trial

27. Is pregnant or breastfeeding or expecting to conceive within the projected duration of
the study, starting with the screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of
trial treatment. Is expecting to father children within 135 days after the last dose
of trial treatment

28. Has had an allogeneic tissue/solid organ transplant