
"I was delighted to take part in a clinical trial as it has the potential to really help others in the future.”
This trial is looking at whether it is possible to give pembrolizumab less often for advanced non small lung cancer.
It is open to people with non small cell lung cancer that has:
Doctors treat non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an called pembrolizumab. You have pembrolizumab as a drip into a vein once every 3 or 6 weeks for up to 2 years.
Research suggests that this may be too often. You might be able to have treatment less often without affecting how well it works. The benefits of this could be:
In this trial some people will have pembrolizumab every 6 weeks (the ). And others will have it less often.
The aims of this trial are to find out:
The following bullet points are a summary of the entry conditions for this trial. Talk to your doctor or the trial team if you are unsure about any of these. They will be able to advise you.
Who can take part
You may be able to join this trial if all of the following apply. You:
Who can’t take part
You cannot join this trial if any of these apply.
This is a phase 3 trial. The team need 1,750 people in total to join the trial.
It is a . A computer puts you into a treatment group. Neither you nor your doctor choses which group you are in.
Everyone has pembrolizumab. You have it as a drip into a vein.
There are 2 parts to this trial.
Part 1
In part 1 there are 2 groups. You have pembrolizumab once:
When there are about 75 people in each group the team will compare the groups. This is to make sure that having pembrolizumab every 12 weeks is working just as well as the standard treatment. When they are sure of this they will go onto part 2.
If they find that having pembrolizumab 12 weeks apart is not as good as the standard treatment the team will stop the trial.
When part 2 opens you will continue having pembrolizumab as part of the trial according to which group you are in.
Part 2
In part 2 there are 5 groups. You have pembrolizumab once:
You continue having pembrolizumab for 2 years. This is as long as it is helping and the side effects aren’t too bad.
During treatment you have a to make sure the treatment is helping.
If your cancer is getting worse and you are having pembrolizumab less often you can stay in the trial and have it every 6 weeks. That is if your doctor agrees with this.
If you are having pembrolizumab every 6 weeks and the cancer is getting worse then you don’t continue as part of the trial. Your doctor will talk to you about what other treatments there might be.
Quality of life
You fill in questionnaires:
The questions ask about:
These are quality of life questionnaires.
Samples for research
You give blood samples when you join and during the treatment. Where possible the team take these when you have blood taken for routine tests.
The team use these samples to find out:
You don’t have to agree to give these blood samples.
You have a CT scan and see the doctor. This is to see if you are able to join the trial.
You then see the doctor before starting treatment for a and blood tests.
You see the doctor before each treatment to see how you are and for blood tests.
You have a CT scan every 3 months.
The trial team monitor you during treatment and afterwards. Contact your advice line or tell your doctor or nurse if any side effects are bad or not getting better.
Pembrolizumab can affect the immune system. It may cause inflammation in different parts of the body. This can cause serious side effects. They could happen during treatment, or some months after treatment has finished. Rarely, these side effects could be life threatening. Your doctor or nurse can explain what these side effects are, the risk of them happening and what to look out for. If you have any of these side effects tell your doctor or nurse as soon as possible. You should tell them that you are on or have been on an immunotherapy. |
We have more information about pembrolizumab and its side effects.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Michael Seckl
Imperial College London
Imperial Clinical Trials Unit – Cancer (ICTU-Ca)
NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
"I was delighted to take part in a clinical trial as it has the potential to really help others in the future.”