NCT02818920CompletedPhase 2
Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab
Pembrolizumab Prior to Surgery for Stage 1B, 2 or 3A Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): A Phase II Study
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 17 Mar 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
This multi-institutional, phase 2 clinical trial is studying two doses of pembrolizumab administered prior to surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) and 4 doses administered after surgery (adjuvant therapy) for stage IB, II or IIIA non-small cell lung cancer. Pembrolizumab is a type of immunotherapy that may enhance the ability of the immune system to fight off cancer. The study will investigate the effects of pembrolizumab on the immune system and how certain immune cells, called TILs (tumor infiltrating lymphocytes), respond to pembrolizumab. Previous studies suggest that pembrolizumab could alter the immune cells in a way that the the immune cells identify cancer cells. Pembrolizumab has been approved for the treatment of advanced lung cancer, but is investigational in this setting.
- Status (registry)
- Completed
- Phase (registry)
- Phase 2
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 35 (actual)
- First submitted
- 28 Jun 2016
- Start date
- Jan 2017
- Primary completion date
- 19 Mar 2019
- Lead sponsor
- Neal Ready MD PhD
- Diseases
- Lung cancer
- NCT number
- NCT02818920
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional · Phase 2
- Participants enrolled: 35
- From Jan 2017 to the primary completion date, 19 Mar 2019
- 3 sites in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Treatment within the last 30 days with a drug that has not received regulatory approval for any indication at the time of study entry or used an investigational device within 4 weeks of the first dose of treatment.
- Concurrent administration of any other anti-tumor therapy.
- Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L-1, or anti-PD-L2 agent.
- Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment.
- Has had major surgery (other than definitive lung cancer surgery) within two weeks of study or other serious concomitant disorders that in the opinion of the investigator would compromise the safety of the patient or compromise the patient's ability to complete the study.
- Has received any non-oncology vaccine therapy used for prevention of infectious diseases (for up to 30 days before or after any dose of pembrolizumab). Note: Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally inactivated flu vaccines and are allowed; however, intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., Flu-Mist®) are live attenuated vaccines and are not allowed.
- Has history of myocardial infarction having occurred less than 6 months before inclusion, any known uncontrolled arrhythmia, symptomatic angina pectoris, active ischemia, or cardiac failure not controlled by medications. Patients with CAD recently treated with surgery and/or stent, if stable without symptomatic angina pectoris, active ischemia are eligible.
Other illness
- Has a known history of active TB (Bacillus Tuberculosis).
- Hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients.
- Has known active Hepatitis B (e.g., HBsAg reactive) or Hepatitis C (e.g., HCV RNA \[qualitative\] is detected).
- Active infection requiring antibiotics, antifungal or antiviral agents, that in the opinion of the investigator would compromise the patient's ability to tolerate therapy.
- Has known history of, or any evidence of active, non-infectious pneumonitis.
- Has a known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies).
- Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the 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 etc) is not considered a form of systemic treatment. Patients with a history of inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's Disease, are excluded from this study, as are patients with a history of symptomatic disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, systemic progressive sclerosis \[scleroderma\], systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune vasculitis \[eg, Wegener's Granulomatosis\]); motor neuropathy considered of autoimmune origin (e.g. Guillain-Barre Syndrome and Myasthenia Gravis).
- Has a known additional invasive malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment. Exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer.
- Has a history of interstitial lung disease
- Has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial.
- Prisoners or subjects who are compulsorily detained involuntarily incarcerated) for treatment of either psychiatric or physical (e.g., infectious) illness.
Other
- Inability to comply with protocol or study procedures.
- Is pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment.
Who the study is looking for
- Histologically or cytologically confirmed NSCLC.
- Clinical stage IB (\>/= 3 cm per CT), Stage IIA/IIB, or Stage IIIA (N0-2) amenable to surgical resection.
- Primary tumor \>/= 3 cm (for all stages entered) to make it likely that excess tumor will be available after resection.
- Patient must be deemed a surgical candidate.
- ECOG performance status of 0 or 1 (Appendix C).
- No prior chemotherapy, radiation therapy or biologic/targeted therapy for current diagnosis of lung cancer.
- Adequate Organ Function
- Age ≥18 years.
- Non-pregnant. Females of child-bearing potential (not surgically sterilized or postmenopausal \[a woman who is \> 45 years of age and has not had menses for greater than 1 year\]) must test negative for pregnancy within 48 hours prior to any initial study procedure based on a serum pregnancy test.
- No active invasive malignancy in the past 2 years other than non-melanoma skin cancer. Cancers that are in-situ are not considered invasive.
- Signed written informed consent including HIPAA according to institutional guidelines.
- Patients must agree to research blood sampling to participate in study.
- Have measurable disease based on RECIST 1.1.
- Post-op predicted FEV1 and DLCO \> 40% predicted (or per institutional standard).
Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (3)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke University Medical Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Durham | United States | Unknown status |
| Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Lebanon | United States | Unknown status |
| Mayo Clinic Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Rochester | United States | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.