Can a drug duo tame an aggressive cancer that chemo Can't stop?

NCT ID NCT05289856

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 01, 2026 · Last updated Sep 02, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether combining cabozantinib, a drug that blocks tumor blood vessel growth, with avelumab, an immunotherapy that boosts the immune system, can control advanced neuroendocrine neoplasia G3 (NEN G3). The study enrolls adults whose cancer has progressed after at least one standard chemotherapy. Participants receive cabozantinib daily and avelumab every two weeks for up to 12 months. The main goal is to see how many patients achieve disease control after 16 weeks of treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
A combination of two drugs: cabozantinib (a targeted therapy that blocks tumor growth) and avelumab (an immunotherapy that helps the immune system attack cancer cells).
What this could lead to
If it works, this combination could offer a new treatment option for people with advanced NEN G3 who have run out of standard chemotherapy options.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-phase trial with only 30 participants. The combination may not control the disease in most patients, and side effects from both drugs could be significant.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

30 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Mar 2022

Finished

Jan 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age ≥ 18 years 2. Histologically proven neuroendocrine neoplasia NEN G3 (WHO 2010/2019) 3. One block or 20 slides (cut at 4 microns) of archival tumor tissue to perform central pathological review and biomarker assessment and for translational research 4. No curative option available 5. Progression within 9 months before study initiation and after at least one chemotherapy (platinum based chemotherapy or STZ/TEM/DTIC based chemotherapy) 6. Presence of measurable disease as per RECIST1.1 criteria 7. Adequate organ and bone barrow functionn: 1. Hematologic: absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 × 109/L, platelet count ≥ 100 × 109/L, and hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL (may have been transfused) 2. Hepatic: total bilirubin level ≤ 1.5 × the upper limit of normal (ULN) range and AST and ALT levels ≤ 2.5 × ULN or AST and ALT levels ≤ 5 × ULN for subjects with documented metastatic disease to the liver) 3. Renal: estimated creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min according to the Cockcroft-Gault formula (or local institutional standard method) 8. Pregnancy and contraception: 1. Pregnancy test: Negative serum or urine pregnancy test at screening for women of childbearing potential. 2. Contraception: Women of child-bearing potential (WOCBP) and men who are able to father a child, willing to be abstinent or use highly effective methods of birth control that result in a low failure rate of less than 1% per year when used consistently and correctly beginning at informed consent, for the duration of study participation and for at least 30 days for female and 90 days for male patients after last dose of avelumab and at least for 4 months after last dose of cabozantinib 9. ECOG Performance Status 0 - 1 10. Life expectancy of at least 12 weeks according to the assessment of the investigator 11. Written informed consent: Signed and dated informed consent of the subject must be available before start of any specific trial procedures 12. Ability of subject to understand nature, importance and individual consequences of clinical trial. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Merkel Cell carcinoma (MCC) or small cell lung cancer (SCLC) 2. Typical or Atypical Carcinoid of the lung with a Ki67 \< 20% 3. Prior therapy with any TKI or immune therapy 4. Neuroendocrine neoplasias that are potentially curable by surgery 5. Major surgery within 4 weeks before first dose of study medication. Complete wound healing must be observed at least 10 days prior to enrollment. 6. Patients who are at increased risk for severe haemorrhage 7. TACE, TAE, SIRT or PRRT within 8 weeks before first dose of study medication 8. Patients pretreated with Interferon as last treatment line prior to study entry 9. Concurrent anticancer treatment after start of trial treatment (e.g., cyto¬reductive therapy, TKI therapy, mTOR inhibitor therapy, radiotherapy \[with the exception of palliative radiotherapy\], immune therapy, or cytokine therapy except for erythropoietin or use of any investigational drug). 10. Concurrent treatment with strong inducers of cytochrome P450 3A4 (eg, phenytoin, carbamazepine, rifampin, rifabutin, rifapentin, phenobarbital, and St. John's wort) and strong inhibitors of cytochrome P450 3A4 (eg, ketoconazole, itraconazole, clarithromycin, indinavir, nefazodone, nelfinavir, and ritonavir), warfarin (due to its high protein bound) 11. Immunosuppressants: Current use of immunosuppressive medication, EXCEPT for the following: 1. intranasal, inhaled, topical steroids, or local steroid injection (e.g., intra-articular injection); 2. Systemic corticosteroids at physiologic doses ≤ 10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent; 3. Steroids as premedication for hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., CT scan premedication) 12. Prior organ transplantation, including allogeneic stem cell transplantation 13. Active infection requiring systemic therapy 14. HIV/AIDS: Known history of testing positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or known acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) 15. Hepatitis: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection at screening (positive HBV surface antigen or HCV RNA if anti-HCV antibody screening test positive) 16. Active SARS-CoV-2 infection (detected via positive PCR test) 17. Autoimmune disease: Severe active autoimmune disease that requires immunomodulatory therapy. Patients with diabetes type I, vitiligo, psoriasis, autoimmune thyroid disease not requiring immunosuppressive treatment are eligible. 18. Persisting toxicity related to prior therapy (NCI CTCAE v.5.0 Grade \> 1); however, alopecia, sensory neuropathy Grade ≤ 2, or other Grade ≤ 2 not constituting a safety risk based on investigator's judgment are acceptable 19. Pregnancy or lactation 20. Other severe acute or chronic medical conditions including immune colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, immune pneumonitis, pulmonary fibrosis or psychiatric conditions including recent (within the past year) or active suicidal ideation or behavior; or laboratory abnormalities that may increase the risk associated with study participation or study treatment administration or may interfere with the interpretation of study results and, in the judgment of the investigator, would make the patient inappropriate for entry into this study. 21. Vaccination: Vaccination within 4 weeks before the first dose of avelumab and while on trial is prohibited except for administration of inactivated vaccines. 22. Hypersensitivity to study drugs: Known prior severe hypersensitivity to investigational product or any component in its formulations, including known severe hypersensitivity reactions to monoclonal antibodies (NCI CTCAE v5.0 Grade ≥ 3) and lactose contained in cabozantinib tablets 23. Cardiovascular disease: Clinically significant (i.e., active) cardiovascular disease: cerebral vascular accident/stroke (\< 6 months prior to enrollment), myocardial infarction (\< 6 months prior to enrollment), unstable angina, congestive heart failure (≥ New York Heart Association Classification Class II), uncontrolled arterial hypertension or serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication. 24. Clinical significant hematemesis or hemoptysis 25. Medical or psychological conditions that would jeopardise an adequate and orderly completion of the trial 26. Patients, who are legally institutionalized.

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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

  • I. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Endokrinologie und Stoffwechselerkrankungen, Universitätsmedizin Mainz

    Mainz, 55131, Germany

  • Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg

    Heidelberg, 69120, Germany

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