Can immunotherapy before surgery help fight melanoma?
NCT ID NCT04020809
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early-phase trial is testing whether the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab (Tecentriq) is safe to use before surgery in people with high-risk melanoma that hasn't spread. The study includes 20 participants and focuses on whether the treatment causes side effects that delay the planned surgery. Researchers will also look at how the tumor responds and if it helps prevent the cancer from coming back within two years.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- atezolizumab (Tecentriq), an immunotherapy drug
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that giving immunotherapy before surgery is safe for high-risk melanoma, potentially leading to better outcomes by shrinking tumors before removal.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-phase trial with only 20 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The main focus is safety, not effectiveness, and there is a risk of side effects that could delay surgery.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Houston Methodist Hospital
Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Could a Two-Drug combo reawaken the immune system against resistant cancers?
- Could starting immunotherapy earlier improve outcomes for High-Risk melanoma?