A Randomised Open-label Phase III Trial of REduced Frequency Pembrolizumab immuNothErapy for First-line Treatment of Patients With Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phasePhase 3
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorImperial College London

About this trial

REFINE-lung will test whether reduced pembrolizumab dose frequency after 6 months of standard treatment is safe and effective. Patients treated with 1st line pembrolizumab who are progression free and otherwise planning to continue therapy at 6 months will be initially randomised to control 6 weekly versus interventional 12 weekly therapy. If an interim analysis shows that the 12 weekly treatment is no less effective, subsequent patients will also be randomised to 9, 15 and 18 weekly treatment frequency arms. Patients who progress on a reduced frequency arm will be offered re-escalation to standard 6 weekly therapy.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Written informed consent prior to initiation of any study procedures and willingness and ability to comply with the study schedule

Any patient ≥18yrs who has received 6 months of pembrolizumab treatment with or without chemotherapy for advanced Non small cell lung cancer who is planned to continue immunotherapy treatment because of continued benefit.

Disqualifiers

Disease progression or not tolerating treatment at 6 months into therapy

Clinician does not intend to continue immunotherapy

Any patient with a synchronous primary cancer. This includes any new cancer diagnoses or relapse of previously treated cancer since starting pembrolizumab treatment.

Any patient currently receiving an investigational agent and/or using an investigational device or has participated in a study of an investigational agent and/or used an investigational device within 28 days of randomisation.

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Pembrolizumab 25 MG/ML [Keytruda]

    Drug

    Pembrolizumab to be given at 400mg intravenous over 5 different frequencies

Treatment groups

1,750 Participants
are divided into 5 treatment groups
Group A: 6 weeklyActive comparator 1 intervention
Group B: 9 weeklyExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group C: 12 weeklyExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group D: 15 weeklyExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group E: 18 weeklyExperimental treatment 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Overall survival at 2 years

Survival at 2 years, defined as from commencing pembrolizumab (18 months after randomisation) to death due to any cause or study termination

Time frame
18 months from randomisation

Secondary outcomes

1

Overall survival from study entry

Survival, defined as from commencing pembrolizumab (18 months after randomisation) to death due to any cause or study termination

Time frame
2 years
2

Progression free survival

Progression free survival as assessed by RECIST v1.1, defined as time from study entry to first evidence of disease progression or death due to any cause

Time frame
2 years
3

Overall response rate

Overall response rate (ORR) as assessed by RECIST v1.1, defined as complete response (CR) or partial response (PR)

Time frame
2 years
4

Duration of response

Duration of response (DoR) as assessed by RECIST v1.1, defined as time from study entry to change in response from CR or PR to stable disease (SD) or progressive disease (PD)

Time frame
2 years

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

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Imperial College London

Lead sponsor

National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom

Collaborator

Medical Research Council

Collaborator

University College, London

Collaborator