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2026-526261-14-00Not yet recruitingPhase 2

PHOENIX - ECP: Extracorporeal PHotopheresis for immune-related cOlitis and/or hEpatitis in advanced melaNoma with inadequate response to steroId eXposure

PHOENIX - ECP: A Phase 2, Randomized, Controlled, Open-label, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety/Tolerability of Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP) Versus Best Available Therapy (BAT) for the Treatment of Immune-related Colitis and/or Hepatitis with Inadequate Response to Corticosteroids in Participants with Unresectable or Metastatic Melanoma Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI)

Source: EU CTIS (euclinicaltrials.eu) · Last updated 5 Oct 2026

Next steps

Brief summary (registry, in English)

To evaluate the efficacy of ECP in the treatment of ir-colitis and ir-hepatitis by assessing corticosteroid-free response.

Status (registry)
Not yet recruiting
Phase (registry)
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
46 (estimated)
First submitted
10 Jun 2026
Start date
1 Jul 2026
Lead sponsor
Therakos Europe Limited
Diseases
Melanoma
EU CT number
2026-526261-14-00

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional · Phase 2
  • Planned participants: 46
  • 20 sites in 5 countries
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of EU CTIS (euclinicaltrials.eu). It describes the study design.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from EU CTIS (euclinicaltrials.eu) and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Prior treatment

  • Positive result for active or previous viral hepatitis B, or active hepatitis C testing at screening.
  • Prior allogeneic bone marrow transplantation or prior solid organ transplantation.
  • Previous splenectomy.
  • Concurrent treatment with another investigational drug, device, or other investigational intervention.
  • Concurrent conditions which may require treatment with high dose corticosteroid (> 1 mg/kg/day) and interfere with the corticosteroid tapering schedule recommended by the protocol.
  • Concomitant treatment with any chemotherapy or targeted therapy for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma.
  • Use of any investigational agent within 5 half-lives of the investigational agent prior to randomization.

Other illness

  • irAEs in addition to and other than ir-colitis or ir-hepatitis, with a higher severity grade than the irAE for inclusion (ir-colitis/ir-hepatitis) based on ASCO guidelines (see Appendix 1 and Appendix 2).
  • Known allergic reaction to any component of 8-methoxsalen, infliximab, vedolizumab, MMF or azathioprine.
  • Has aphakia or a history of light sensitive diseases such as lupus erythematosus, porphyria cutanea tarda, erythropoietic protoporphyria, variegate porphyria, xeroderma pigmentosum, and albinism.
  • Hemodynamically unstable, requires vasopressors, and/or has New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, or ventricular arrhythmias.
  • Participants with a history of human immunodeficiency virus or a positive result on human immunodeficiency virus
  • Positive result for tuberculosis testing (blood testing).
  • Active coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.
  • Any active malignancies, other than unresectable or metastatic melanoma.
  • Any condition that would, in the investigator's judgment, interfere with full participation in the study, including administration of study treatment and attending required study visits poses a significant risk to the participant; or interfere with interpretation of study data.
  • Treatment of ir-colitis or ir-hepatitis with any systemic therapy other than corticosteroids.
  • Pre-existing liver disease (eg, primary autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cholangitis). Isolated low titer autoantibody positivity or mild immunoglobulin G elevation in the setting of hepatic metastases or malignancy-related inflammation, without other evidence of autoimmune hepatitis, will not be considered exclusionary.
  • Active alcohol use disorder (per investigator assessment and/or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition criteria).

Other

  • Unable to tolerate the fluid shift associated with the ECP procedure.
  • Positive screening test for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), or adenovirus.
  • Has a diagnosis of uveal melanoma as the sole melanoma subtype (ie, without a diagnosis of cutaneous, acral or mucosal melanoma).
  • Inability to operate electronic devices such as a smart phone to complete patient diaries and questionnaires.
  • Any known contraindications to study intervention and/or procedures (methoxalen, the ECP procedure, infliximab or vedolizumab, MMF or azathioprine).

Who the study is looking for

  • Be adequately informed and understand the nature and risks of the study and must be able to provide a signature and date on the informed consent form (ICF).
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0, 1 or 2.
  • Life expectancy > 4 months.
  • Has adequate peripheral or central venous access to undergo ECP treatment.
  • Participants of non-childbearing potential OR participants using highly effective methods of contraception (see Appendix 4).
  • Participants whose sexual partner may become pregnant must use condoms or other methods to ensure effective contraception with partner, and abstain from donating blood, semen, or sperm during the study and for 90 days after the last study treatment (ECP or BAT; see Appendix 4).
  • State willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study.
  • Adult (age ≥ 18 years) persons of any sex and gender.
  • Diagnosed with unresectable or metastatic melanoma (eg, Stage III and Stage IV).
  • Received ICI treatment (eg, anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-LAG-3, anti-CTLA-4 antibody, as ICI monotherapy or ICI combination therapy).
  • ICI paused or discontinued because of the development of ir-colitis or ir-hepatitis.
  • Diagnosed with ir-colitis or ir-hepatitis with a severity of Grade 2 or higher, based on ASCO Guidelines (ir-colitis: diarrhea with an increase of ≥ 4 stools more than at baseline with other potential causes of diarrhea and colitis ruled out by the appropriate evaluations; ir-hepatitis: increase in AST or ALT > 3 × upper limit of normal, total bilirubin > 1.5 × ULN, or alkaline phosphatase > 2.5 × ULN, after exclusion of other potential causes of hepatotoxicity and ruling out the increase is due to development or progression of liver metastases; pre-existing liver metastases are not exclusionary).
  • For participant with ir-colitis: Endoscopic evidence of ir-colitis based on colonoscopy, as performed within 10 days prior to randomization.
  • Has inadequate response to corticosteroids, defined as: a. No improvement in ir-colitis or ir-hepatitis after at least 72 hours of treatment with systemic corticosteroids (corticosteroid-refractory), OR b. Relapse of ir-colitis or ir-hepatitis (back to Grade 2 or higher) during or after corticosteroid tapering (corticosteroid-dependent).

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on EU CTIS (euclinicaltrials.eu)

Sites (20)

Sites in registry order. Save your city in your profile to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
Medical University of GrazGrazAustriaNot yet recruiting
Gemeinnuetzige Salzburger Landeskliniken Betriebsgesellschaft mbHSalzburgAustriaNot yet recruiting
Medical University of ViennaViennaAustriaNot yet recruiting
Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin KöRBerlinGermanyNot yet recruiting
Universitaetsklinikum Koeln AöRCologneGermanyNot yet recruiting
Universitaetsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden an der Technischen Universitaet Dresden AöRDresdenGermanyNot yet recruiting
Universitaetsklinikum Essen (AoR)EssenGermanyNot yet recruiting
Medical Center- University of FreiburgFreiburg im BreisgauGermanyNot yet recruiting
Martin-Luther-Universitaet Halle-WittenbergHalle (Saale)GermanyNot yet recruiting
Universitaetsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein AöRLuebeckGermanyNot yet recruiting
Universitaetsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universitaet Mainz KöRMainzGermanyNot yet recruiting
Universitaetsklinikum Mannheim GmbHMannheimGermanyNot yet recruiting
LMU Klinikum Muenchen AöRMunichGermanyNot yet recruiting
Hospital Universitari Vall d'HebronBarcelonaSpainNot yet recruiting
Hospital Universitario 12 de OctubreMadridSpainNot yet recruiting
University Clinical Hospital Virgen De La ArrixacaMurciaSpainNot yet recruiting
Istituto Tumori Bari Giovanni Paolo IIBariItalyNot yet recruiting
Fondazione IRCCS - Istituto Nazionale dei TumoriMilanItalyNot yet recruiting
IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione PascaleNaplesItalyNot yet recruiting
Het Nederlands Kanker Instituut-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Ziekenhuis StichtingAmsterdamNetherlandsNot yet recruiting

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This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.