A trial looking at pembrolizumab for prostate cancer (PERSEUS1)

The following bullet points list 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:

• have prostate cancer that has spread despite having hormone treatment or having your testicles removed 
• are willing to have a fresh sample of cancer tissue (biopsy ) taken during the trial
• have an area of cancer spread that can be measured on a scan or you have a blood test that shows there is a certain number of cancer cells in your blood stream and your PSA is 2ng/ml or more
• have cancer that is getting worse and you have had treatment for it with at least one of the following abiraterone, enzalutamide, docetaxel, cabazitaxel or radium 223
• can look after yourself but might not be able to work (performance status 0,1 or 2)
• have satisfactory blood test results
• are willing to use contraception during the trial and for 4 months after if you are sexually active and your partner might get pregnant 
• are at least 18 years old

Who can’t take part

You cannot join this trial if any of these apply. 

Cancer related
You:

• have active cancer spread to the brain or spinal cord. You might be able to take part if you have had treatment and it is not getting worse. Your doctor can tell more about this. 
• have cancer pressing on your spinal cord (spinal cord compression ) unless it is treated and not getting worse 
• have had certain immunotherapies  already  
• have had blood cell growth factors  such as G-CSF or GM-CSF within 2 weeks of starting the trial treatment
• have ongoing moderate to severe side effects from previous treatment apart from hair loss (alopecia) and nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy )
• have had another cancer in the past 2 years apart from non melanoma skin cancer and early bladder cancer  
• started having bisphosphonates  within a month of starting trial treatment. You can join the trial if you are already having bisphosphonates and the dose has not changed within the month before you start the trial treatment. 

Medical conditions
You cannot join this trial if any of these apply. You:

• are taking medication such as steroids that affects your immune system
• have a disease that affects your immune system
• have a heart condition or problem that isn’t controlled by medication
• have high blood pressure (hypertension) that isn’t well controlled
• have an autoimmune disease  such as inflammatory bowels disease or Crohn’s disease
• have HIV, active hepatitis B or hepatitis C
• have a problem with how well your platelets  work 
• have any other medical condition or mental health problem that the trial team or your doctor thinks can affect you taking part

Other
You cannot join this trial if you have a live vaccine  within 4 weeks of starting trial treatment. You can have vaccines that aren't live such as COVID-19.