Can a Pre-Surgery drug combo wipe out early lung cancer?
NCT ID NCT07720167
First seen Jul 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial investigates whether adding the immunotherapy drug cemiplimab to standard chemotherapy before surgery can completely eliminate tumors in people with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (tumors 2 to 3.9 cm). Participants will receive three cycles of the drug combination, then undergo surgery to remove any remaining cancer. The main goal is to see how many patients have no cancer cells left in the removed tissue.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- cemiplimab plus platinum-based chemotherapy (carboplatin or cisplatin with pemetrexed or paclitaxel)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could offer a way to eradicate early-stage lung cancer before surgery, potentially improving survival without the need for additional treatments.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial, so results may not apply broadly. Combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy can cause significant side effects, including immune-related reactions.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 38 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Nov 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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. Participants must have histologically proven NSCLC, clinically staged cT1c or T2a, clinically node-negative (no bronchoscopy is required for screening) using AJCC 9th Edition. 2. Participants must have an SUVmax \>6.2 on standard of care staging PET scan, and/or biopsy histology must be consistent with moderate/poorly/or undifferentiated NSCLC. 3. Participants must have pulmonary function study capable of tolerating the proposed lung resection according to the surgeon. This will require post-operative predicted forced expiratory volume (FEV) 1 and diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) greater than 40%. 4. Participants must be deemed a surgical candidate with adequate organ function, documented in the electronic medical record (EMR). 5. Participants must have ECOG Performance status 0-1. 6. Participants must have a signed and dated IRB approved written consent form before the performance of any protocol related procedures that are not part of the normal participant care. 7. Participants must be aged \>18 years old. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Participants must have no known ALK driver mutations 2. Participants must have no known EGFR mutations. 3. Participants must not have known or suspected active autoimmune disease requiring systemic immunosuppressive treatment within the past two years. Participants with type I diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism only requiring hormone replacement, skin disorders (such as vitiligo, psoriasis, or alopecia) not requiring systemic treatment, or conditions not expected to recur in the absence of an external trigger are permitted to enroll. 4. Participants must not have any condition treated with chemotherapy or other cancer therapy, including anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PDL-2, or anti-CTLA-4 antibody (or any other antibody targeting T-cell co-regulatory pathways). 5. Prior malignancy active within the previous 3 years except for locally curable cancers that have been apparently cured, such as basal or squamous cell skin cancer, superficial bladder cancer, or carcinoma in situ of the prostate, cervix, or breast. 6. Participants must not have history of symptomatic interstitial lung disease. 7. Prisoners or subjects who are involuntarily incarcerated or compulsorily detained for treatment of either a psychiatric or physical (e.g., infectious disease) illness will be excluded from the study. 8. Participants must not have previous history of bone marrow transplant. 9. Participants must not have a known allergy, or history of allergy or hypersensitivity to study drug or any of the excipients. 10. Presence of cardiovascular disease, as defined by: a) New York Heart Association heart failure classifications of Class II, III, or IV; or myocardial infarction, or acute coronary syndrome within 12 months of first dose of study medication; or b) Transient ischemic attack or stroke within 1 year. 11. Any condition that requires ongoing/continuous corticosteroid or immunosuppressive therapy (\>10 mg prednisone/day or anti-inflammatory equivalent) within 1 week prior to the first dose of study medication. Participants who require a brief course of steroids (up to 2 days in the week before enrollment) or physiologic replacement are not excluded. 12. Any infection requiring hospitalization or treatment with IV anti-infectives within 2 weeks of first dose of study medication. 13. Known infection with HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection, diagnosis of immunodeficiency, and/or tuberculosis (active or latent). 14. Exclusions relating to vaccines: a) Receipt of a live vaccine within 4 weeks of start of study medication. b) Receipt of COVID-19 vaccination within 1 week of planned start of study medication or for which the planned COVID-19 vaccinations would not be completed 1 week prior to start of study medication. 15. Exclusions and information relating to pregnancy/contraception: 1. WOCBP\* and men\*\* who are unwilling to practice highly effective contraception prior to the initial dose/start of the first treatment, during the study, and for at least 6 months after the last dose. Highly effective contraceptive measures include: i. Stable use of combined (estrogen and progestogen containing) hormonal contraception (oral, intravaginal, transdermal) or progestogen-only hormonal contraception (oral, injectable, implantable) associated with inhibition of ovulation initiated 2 or more menstrual cycles prior to screening; ii. Intrauterine device; intrauterine hormone-releasing system; iii. Bilateral tubal occlusion/ligation; iv. Vasectomized partner (provided that the male vasectomized partner is the sole sexual partner of the WOCBP study participant and that the vasectomized partner has obtained medical assessment of surgical success for the procedure); and/or v. Sexual abstinence†,‡. Note: Pregnancy testing and contraception are required for WOCBP. Pregnancy testing and contraception are not required for women who are postmenopausal or permanently sterile. * WOCBP are defined as women who are fertile following menarche until becoming postmenopausal, unless permanently sterile. Permanent sterilization methods include hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy, and bilateral oophorectomy. A postmenopausal state is defined as no menses for 12 months without an alternative medical cause. A high FSH level in the postmenopausal range may be used to confirm a postmenopausal state in women not using hormonal contraception or hormonal replacement therapy. However, in the absence of 12 months of amenorrhea, a single FSH measurement is insufficient to determine the occurrence of a postmenopausal state. The above definitions are according to the CTFG guidance. Pregnancy testing and contraception are not required for women with documented hysterectomy or tubal ligation. \*\*Male participants: A male participant will be excluded from the study if that participant does not agree to use condoms or practice sexual abstinence†‡, unless vasectomized, prior to the initial dose/start of study medication, during the study, and for at least 6 months after the last dose. Sperm donation is also prohibited during the same period. Vasectomy success must be confirmed by semen analysis. †Sexual abstinence is considered a highly effective method only if defined as refraining from heterosexual intercourse during the entire period of risk associated with the study drugs. The reliability of sexual abstinence needs to be evaluated in relation to the duration of the clinical trial and the preferred and usual lifestyle of the participant. * Periodic abstinence (calendar, symptothermal, post-ovulation methods), withdrawal (coitus interruptus), spermicides only, and lactational amenorrhea method are not acceptable methods of contraception. Female condom and male condom should not be used together.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center
Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a less extensive lung cancer surgery be just as effective?