Pulsed chemo plus pembrolizumab for head and neck cancer
Treatments studied
Part of Cancer, Ear, nose & throat clinical trials.
This trial tests a new way to give chemotherapy (pulsed doses) together with pembrolizumab (an immunotherapy) for people with head and neck cancer that has come back or spread and cannot be cured with local treatments. The goal is to see if this combination works better than standard approaches.
Summary written for real people, not researchers, by Clin2.
Who can take part
- You have head and neck cancer (squamous cell type) that has returned or spread and can't be cured with local therapies.
- Your cancer has a PD-L1 CPS score greater than 1 (a measure of a protein on your cancer cells).
- You are 18 years or older.
- You are able to carry out daily activities with little or no help (ECOG performance status 0-2).
- You have at least one tumor that can be measured on scans (using RECIST criteria).
- Your blood counts, kidney function, and liver function are within certain normal limits (your doctor will check these).
- You have not had prior chemotherapy specifically for your recurrent/metastatic cancer (platinum therapy more than 6 months ago as part of curative treatment is okay).
- You have not had prior immunotherapy (anti-PD-1/PD-L1) for your recurrent/metastatic disease, unless it was part of curative treatment over a year ago.
- You don't have an active autoimmune disease requiring treatment (stable conditions like vitiligo, thyroid issues, or Sjogren's are okay), and you don't have a history of lung inflammation (pneumonitis) needing steroids.
- You are willing to use birth control if needed and do not have allergies to the study drugs.
Quick eligibility check
Answer a few plain-language questions, based on this study's own requirements, to get a preliminary sense of fit.
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