Pembrolizumab before surgery for resectable Merkel cell cancer
Treatments studied
Part of Cancer, Infections clinical trials.
This trial tests pembrolizumab (an immune therapy) given before surgery to shrink Merkel cell carcinoma and improve outcomes. Participants also have extra tumor biopsies to study biomarkers, which may help explain who benefits most.
Summary written for real people, not researchers, by Clin2.
Who can take part
- Your Merkel cell cancer must be stage I to III and removable with clear margins (resectable).
- You must be able to provide enough tumor tissue for two sets of research biopsies before surgery and enough remaining tumor after the first collection.
- You must be willing to do two paired tumor biopsies for study testing, and the tissue must not have been previously irradiated (treated with radiation).
- You must have good overall health for treatment, such as ECOG performance status 0 to 1 and adequate organ function on blood tests.
- You must not have had prior immune checkpoint therapy like anti–PD-1, anti–PD-L1, or anti–PD-L2, or similar immune T-cell drugs.
- You must not have certain medical situations (like unresectable cancer, recent major treatment, active autoimmune disease needing immune suppression, untreated infections, or known HIV).
Quick eligibility check
Answer a few plain-language questions, based on this study's own requirements, to get a preliminary sense of fit.
Similar studies
Other trials that look related to this one.
This trial tests a new combination for people with advanced Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare skin cancer. It combines the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab with standard chemotherapy (cisplatin or carboplatin plus etoposide). The goal is to see if this combination shrinks or controls the cancer better than chemotherapy alone.
This trial tests a combination of two immunotherapy drugs, nivolumab and relatlimab, before surgery for Merkel cell carcinoma that can be removed. The goal is to see if this treatment shrinks the tumor and improves outcomes.
This early-phase study tests cemiplimab (an immune therapy that helps your immune system attack cancer) given before surgery. It aims to shrink tumors and improve outcomes for people with Merkel cell cancer or certain locally advanced skin squamous cell cancers (CSCC).
This Phase 2 trial studies whether peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (targeted radiation) combined with immunotherapy (pembrolizumab) can shrink Merkel cell cancer after it has grown despite anti–PD-1/L1 treatment. It may help people whose cancer has specific receptors that make them eligible for the targeted radiation.
This study tests a combination of two medicines—an oral therapy (ASTX727) and an immunotherapy (retifanlimab)—for people with advanced Merkel cell carcinoma that has not responded to prior immunotherapy. The goal is to see if this new combination can help shrink or control the cancer.
This Phase 2 trial tests a specific radiation timing/dose schedule for Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare and aggressive skin cancer. It may help by improving control of the cancer after surgery, especially in higher-risk cases (like lymph nodes).
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