Your session is about to expire
← Back to Search
Platinum-based Chemotherapy
Pembrolizumab + Gemcitabine for Bladder Cancer
Phase 1 & 2
Waitlist Available
Research Sponsored by Christopher Hoimes, M.D.
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial Must have
Be older than 18 years old
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up from date of registration to date of death (up to 5 years)
Awards & highlights
No Placebo-Only Group
All Individual Drugs Already Approved
Approved for 10 Other Conditions
Summary
This trial is for people with bladder cancer who may need surgery. It is testing a new treatment to see if it is effective and safe.
Who is the study for?
Adults over 18 with muscle invasive bladder cancer, eligible for neoadjuvant therapy and surgery. They must be physically able to participate (ECOG PS ≤ 2), have adequate organ function, and not be pregnant or breastfeeding. Participants need available tumor tissue for testing and agree to use contraception. Exclusions include other active cancers, certain heart conditions, autoimmune diseases requiring treatment, known HIV/Hepatitis B/C infections, recent immunotherapy or investigational drug use.
What is being tested?
The trial is testing Pembrolizumab combined with Gemcitabine chemotherapy in patients who can/cannot receive Cisplatin before bladder cancer surgery. It's a two-part study: an initial phase Ib followed by a randomized phase II to compare the effects of these treatments based on cisplatin eligibility.
What are the potential side effects?
Possible side effects include immune-related reactions affecting organs, infusion-related symptoms like fever or chills, fatigue from treatment exhaustion, blood cell count changes leading to increased infection risk or bleeding problems, potential liver or kidney function issues.
Timeline
Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~ from date of registration to date of death (up to 5 years)
Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~from date of registration to date of death (up to 5 years)
Treatment Details
Study Objectives
Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.Primary study objectives
Phase II: Rate of Pathologic Muscle Invasive Response (PaIR)
Phase Ib: Number of Patients with Adverse Events as a Measure of Safety and Tolerability
Secondary study objectives
Overall Survival (OS)
Radical Cystectomy (RC) Rate
Relapse-Free Survival (RFS)
Awards & Highlights
No Placebo-Only Group
All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.
All Individual Drugs Already Approved
Therapies where all constituent drugs have already been approved are likely to have better-understood side effect profiles.
Approved for 10 Other Conditions
This treatment demonstrated efficacy for 10 other conditions.
Trial Design
3Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Arm C - Phase II Cohort II:Experimental Treatment3 Interventions
Cisplatin-ineligible subjects receive gemcitabine every week every 28 days for 3 cycles. Pembrolizumab at RP2D is given every 21 days for 5 doses starting C1D8. NOTE: due to the timing of gemcitabine cycles every 4 weeks, and every 3-week dosing of pembrolizumab, there are two doses of pembrolizumab given during cycle 2: D1 and D22. Additionally, the last dose of pembrolizumab falls on what would be D8 of a 4th 'chemo' cycle; however gemcitabine is NOT GIVEN. Subjects will then have consolidative surgery to remove their primary tumor within 2-7 weeks after their last dose of neoadjuvant therapy.
Group II: Arm B - Phase II Cohort I:Experimental Treatment4 Interventions
Cisplatin-eligible subjects receive gemcitabine/cisplatin every 21 days, repeated for 4 cycles. (Subjects with Ccr of 50-59 mL/min must follow split dosing of cisplatin over two days) . Pembrolizumab at RP2D is given every 21 days for 5 doses starting C1D8. Note: the last dose of pembrolizumab falls on what would be day 8 of a 5th 'chemo' cycle, however gemcitabine/cisplatin is NOT GIVEN. Subjects will then have consolidative surgery to remove their primary tumor within 2-7 weeks after their last dose of neoadjuvant therapy.
Group III: Arm A - Phase 1b Dose Finding Cohort:Experimental Treatment3 Interventions
Cisplatin-eligible subjects will receive pembrolizumab at starting dose of 200mg (dose level 0), and/or 120mg (dose level -1) in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin. The MTD will be the highest pembrolizumab dose level in combination with gemcitabine/cisplatin every 21 days, repeated for 4 cycles. (Subjects with Ccr of 50-59 mL/min must follow split dosing of cisplatin over two days). Once the MTD is established, this portion of the study will close and the phase II will open to cohorts I and II at the recommended phase II dose (RP2D).
Treatment
First Studied
Drug Approval Stage
How many patients have taken this drug
Cisplatin
FDA approved
Gemcitabine
FDA approved
Pembrolizumab
FDA approved
Find a Location
Who is running the clinical trial?
Christopher Hoimes, M.D.Lead Sponsor
Hoosier Cancer Research NetworkOTHER
68 Previous Clinical Trials
3,673 Total Patients Enrolled
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLCIndustry Sponsor
4,027 Previous Clinical Trials
5,188,720 Total Patients Enrolled
Jason R. BrownLead Sponsor
Jason R. Brown, M.D.,PhDStudy ChairHoosier Cancer Research Network
Media Library
Eligibility Criteria:
This trial includes the following eligibility criteria:- I can take care of myself but might not be able to do heavy physical work.I have a confirmed aggressive bladder or upper urinary tract cancer.I can provide tissue samples for cancer analysis.I have a large lymph node in my abdomen or pelvis, not biopsied but confirmed non-cancerous.I have not taken immunosuppressive drugs or steroids, except for non-cancer reasons, in the last 7 days.I am over 18 years old.My organ functions are within normal ranges as per recent tests.I haven't had a monoclonal antibody treatment in the last 28 days or have recovered from its side effects.I have been diagnosed with HIV.You have active Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.I have a lung condition not caused by an infection.I am currently being treated for an infection.My urologist recommends a non-surgical treatment for me.My cancer is in the upper urinary tract, small, low grade, and not invasive.I have received treatment for bladder cancer before.I have another cancer, but it's either stable or treated except for skin, cervical, or low-risk prostate cancer.I have cancer that has spread to my brain or surrounding membranes.I have an autoimmune disease but it's either mild or treated with stable medications.I will use two birth control methods or avoid sex during and 120 days after the study.I have received growth factor therapy like G-CSF or GM-CSF in the last 14 days.I have been treated with specific immune-targeting drugs before.I have not received a live vaccine in the last 30 days.I agree to use barrier contraception during and for 120 days after the study.I have taken a pregnancy test that was negative within the last 3 days.My cancer is in stages 2 to 4 but hasn't spread to lymph nodes or other parts of my body.My cancer is a type of bladder cancer known as urothelial carcinoma.I am scheduled for surgery to remove my bladder or kidney as part of my cancer treatment plan.I have been on a stable dose of blood thinners like warfarin or LMWH for at least two weeks.
Research Study Groups:
This trial has the following groups:- Group 1: Arm B - Phase II Cohort I:
- Group 2: Arm A - Phase 1b Dose Finding Cohort:
- Group 3: Arm C - Phase II Cohort II:
Awards:
This trial has 3 awards, including:- No Placebo-Only Group - All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.
- All Individual Drugs Already Approved - Therapies where all constituent drugs have already been approved are likely to have better-understood side effect profiles.
- Approved for 10 Other Conditions - This treatment demonstrated efficacy for 10 other conditions.
Timeline:
This trial has the following timeline:- Screening: It may take up to 3 Weeks to process to see if you qualify in this trial.
- Treatment: The duration you will receive the treatment varies.
- Follow Ups: You may be asked to continue sharing information regarding the trial for 6 Months after you stop receiving the treatment.