Immunotherapy clinical trials at UC Davis

This phase II/III Expanded Lung-MAP treatment trial compares the effect of adding cemiplimab to docetaxel and ramucirumab versus docetaxel and ramucirumab alone in treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer that is stage IV or that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent). Cemiplimab is a monoclonal antibody that stimulates the immune system by blocking the PD-1 pathway. Tumors use the PD-1 pathway to escape attacks from the immune system. By blocking the PD-1 pathway, cemiplimab may help the immune system recognize and attack tumor cells. Docetaxel is in a class of medications called taxanes. It stops tumor cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Ramucirumab is a monoclonal antibody that may prevent the growth of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow. Adding cemiplimab to usual treatment, docetaxel and ramucirumab, may kill more tumor cells compared to docetaxel and ramucirumab alone in treating patients with stage IV or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer.

This phase III trial compares durvalumab to the usual approach (patient observation) after surgery for the treatment of patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as durvalumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. The usual approach for patients who are not in a study is to closely watch a patient's condition after surgery and to have regular visits with their doctor to watch for signs of the cancer coming back. Usually, patients do not receive further treatment unless the cancer returns. This study will help determine whether this different approach with durvalumab is better, the same, or worse than the usual approach of observation. Giving durvalumab may help patients live longer and prevent early-stage non-small cell lung cancer from coming back as compared to the usual approach.

This phase II trial tests how well odronextamab works before and after standard of care (SOC) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in treating patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) that has come back after a period of improvement (relapsed) or that has not responded to previous treatment (refractory). CAR-T cell therapy is the SOC treatment most patients receive when other treatments have failed. CAR-T cell therapy is a type of treatment in which a patient's T cells (a type of immune system cell) are changed in the laboratory so they will attack cancer cells. T cells are taken from a patient's blood. Then the gene for a special receptor that binds to a certain protein on the patient's cancer cells is added to the T cells in the laboratory. The special receptor is called a CAR. Large numbers of the CAR T cells are grown in the laboratory and given to the patient by infusion for treatment of certain cancers. Odronextamab is a monoclonal antibody that is called bispecific, as it individually targets 2 cell proteins, CD20 and CD3. Proteins are part of each cell in the body, which work together like little machines for the cell to function. CD20 is a protein that is found on the surface of both normal B-cells and B-cells that make up certain cancers, like DLBCL. CD3 is a protein that is found on the surface of T cells. T-cells and normal B-cells are types of white blood cells in the body and are a part of the immune system that fights infections. Odronextamab is designed to help T-cells find and kill the B-cells including the cancer cells in DLBCL. Giving odronextamab before and after CAR T-cell therapy may improve response in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL.

This phase I trial evaluates the best dose, possible benefits and/or side effects of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide with or without rituximab before CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells in treating patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that has come back (relapsed) or has not responded to previous treatment (refractory). T-cells are a normal part of the immune system. To make the T-cell medication, T-cells are taken from the blood and altered in a laboratory. They are then returned to the body. The altered T-cells will latch on to a specific part of the cancer cells and hopefully kill them. Once the T-cells have been altered in the laboratory, they are called "CAR T-cells." CAR is short for "chimeric antigen receptors." These are structures on the surface of cells that allow the altered T-Cells to find and destroy the cancer cells. Another part of the T-Cell medication is called "CD19." This part is called a "biomarker." Biomarkers help doctors determine whether a cancer is getting worse and whether medications are working to stop it. The chemotherapy drugs that are given before the T-Cell therapy are cyclophosphamide, fludarabine and rituximab. Rituximab is an immunotherapy drug. These chemotherapy drugs will reduce the number of normal (unaltered) T-Cells in the body to make room for the altered T-cells to kill the cancer cells. Giving fludarabine and cyclophosphamide with or without rituximab before CD19 CAR T cell therapy may help improve response to CD19 CAR T cell therapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

This phase II trial compares the effect of adding ipatasertib to pembrolizumab (standard immunotherapy) vs. pembrolizumab alone in treating patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck that has come back (recurrent) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). Ipatasertib is in a class of medications called protein kinase B (AKT) inhibitors. It may stop the growth of tumor cells and may kill them. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving ipatasertib in combination with pembrolizumab may be more effective than pembrolizumab alone in improving some outcomes in patients with recurrent/metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck.

This phase III trial compares the effect of adding cemiplimab to standard therapy (surgery with or without radiation) versus standard therapy alone in treating patients with stage III/IV squamous cell skin cancer that is able to be removed by surgery (resectable) and that may have come back after a period of improvement (recurrent). The usual treatment for patients with resectable squamous cell skin cancer is the removal of the cancerous tissue (surgery) with or without radiation, which uses high energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as cemiplimab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Cemiplimab has been approved for the treatment of skin cancer that has spread or that cannot be removed by surgery, but it has not been approved for the treatment of skin cancer than can be removed by surgery. Adding cemiplimab to the usual treatment of surgery with or without radiation may be more effective in treating patients with stage III/IV resectable squamous cell skin cancer than the usual treatment alone.

This phase II trial tests the addition of BMS-986016 (relatlimab) to the usual immunotherapy after initial treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent) or that has spread from where it first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic). Relatlimab is a monoclonal antibody that may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. The usual approach of treatment is initial treatment with chemotherapy such as the combination of cisplatin (or carboplatin) and gemcitabine, along with immunotherapy such as nivolumab. After the initial treatment is finished, patients may continue to receive additional immunotherapy. Carboplatin is in a class of medications known as platinum-containing compounds. It works in a way similar to the anticancer drug cisplatin, but may be better tolerated than cisplatin. Carboplatin works by killing, stopping or slowing the growth of tumor cells. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Gemcitabine is a chemotherapy drug that blocks the cells from making deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and may kill cancer cells. Giving BMS-986016 in addition to the usual immunotherapy after initial treatment may extend the time without the tumor cells growing or spreading longer than the usual approach in patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer.

This phase III trial compares the effect of adding tivozanib to standard therapy pembrolizumab versus pembrolizumab alone for the treatment of patients with high-risk renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Tivozanib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of the abnormal protein that signals tumor cells to multiply. This helps stop the spread of tumor cells. Giving pembrolizumab and tivozanib together may work better than pembrolizumab alone in treating patients with RCC.

This phase II/III trial examines whether patients who have undergone surgical removal of bladder, kidney, ureter or urethra, but require an additional treatment called immunotherapy to help prevent their urinary tract (urothelial) cancer from coming back, can be identified by a blood test. Many types of tumors tend to lose cells or release different types of cellular products including their DNA which is referred to as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) into the bloodstream before changes can be seen on scans. Health care providers can measure the level of ctDNA in blood or other bodily fluids to determine which patients are at higher risk for disease progression or relapse. In this study, a blood test is used to measure ctDNA and see if there is still cancer somewhere in the body after surgery and if giving a treatment will help eliminate the cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab and relatlimab, can help the body's immune system to attack the cancer, and can interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial may help doctors determine if ctDNA measurement in blood can better identify patients that need additional treatment, if treatment with nivolumab prolongs patients' life and whether the additional immunotherapy treatment with relatlimab extends time without disease progression or prolongs life of urothelial cancer patients who have undergone surgical removal of their bladder, kidney, ureter or urethra.