Immunotherapy added to standard drugs may fight aggressive thyroid cancer
NCT ID NCT04238624
First seen Jul 06, 2026 · Last updated Jul 07, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether adding the immunotherapy drug cemiplimab to the usual combination of dabrafenib and trametinib can shrink tumors in people with a rare and aggressive form of thyroid cancer called anaplastic thyroid cancer. Participants have a specific genetic mutation (BRAF-V600E) and their cancer has stopped responding to the standard two-drug treatment. The goal is to see if the three-drug combination can control the disease better than the current approach.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- cemiplimab (an immunotherapy antibody) added to dabrafenib and trametinib
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new treatment option for people with a rare and aggressive thyroid cancer that has stopped responding to standard drugs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 16 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Immunotherapy can cause serious side effects, and the cancer may still progress.
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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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16 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2020
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
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 years and older
- 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: * Pathological (histologically or cytologically) proven diagnosis of BRAF-V600E mutant ATC (a diagnosis that is noted to be consistent with ATC is acceptable) * Either Metastatic disease or locoregional disease that is considered not resectable for cure * Ideally a surgeon should determine that the disease is not resectable for cure, but this can also be done by any investigator * Patients must have measurable disease according to RECIST 1.1 criteria, defined as at least 1 lesion that can be accurately measured in at least 1 dimension (longest diameter to be recorded for nonnodal lesions and short axis for nodal lesions) as \>/= 20 mm with conventional techniques or as \>/= 10 mm with spiral CT scan, MRI, or calipers by clinical exam * Age \>/= 18 years * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status \</= (or Karnofsky performance score \>/= 60) * Able to swallow and retain orally administered medication * Patient must have normal organ and marrow function as defined below: * Absolute neutrophil count \>/=1.5 x 10\^9/L * Hemoglobin \>/=8 g/dL * Platelets \>/=100 x 10\^9/L * Serum bilirubin \</=1.5x institutional ULN (unless the patient has GIlbert's Disease, in which case total bilirubin \</=3x institutional ULN) * AST and ALT \</=2.5x institutional ULN (\</=5x institutional ULN if there is liver metastasis) * Serum creatinine \</=1.5mg/dL or calculated creatinined clearance (Cockcroft-Gault formula) \>/=50 mL/min or 24-h urine creatinine clearance \>/=50 mL/min * Left ventricular ejection fraction greater than or equal to instutional lower limit of normal (LLN) by echocardiogram or multigated acquisition (MUGA) * Negative pregnancy test (serum or urine) within 14 days of registration for women of childbearing potential. Women of childbearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) before study entry and for the duration of study participation. Men treated or enrolled on this protocol must also agree to use adequate contraception before the study, for the duration of study participation, and for 4 months after completion of trametinib administration * Must agree to allow 2-4 separate biopsies of any malignant lesion. For patients whose biopsies (initial) are deemed as unsafe or contraindicated, they will not be eligible. * Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent document. Note: Use of Legally Authorized Representative (LAR) is permitted Exclusion Criteria: * Previous documentation or current evidence of treatment with dabrafenib and trametinib. ° Exception: (1) Patients who started dabrafenib and tranetinib for ATC at an institution outside of MSK are eligible or (2) with the consent of the PI (Sherman). However, this exception is limited to 8 subjects. * Active brain metastases, unless an exception is granted by the Principal Investigator. * Current interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis * Prior history of idelalisib therapy. Exceptions allowed with the consent of the principal investigator (Dr. Sherman) * History of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) or central serous retinopathy (CSR): ° History of RVO or CSR or predisposing factors to RVO or CSR (e.g. uncontrolled glaucoma or ocular hypertension) * History or current evidence of cardiovascular risk, including any of the following: * Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \<LLN * A QT interval corrected for heart rate using the Bazett's formula of QTcB\>/=480msec * Current evidence of clinically significant uncontrolled arrhythmias (exception: patients with controlled atrial fibrillation for \>30 days before enrollment are eligible) * History of acute coronary syndromes (including myocardial infarction and unstable angina), coronary angioplasty, or stenting within 6 months before treatment * Known hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (with the exception of chronic or cleared HBV and HCV infection, which will be allowed) HIV-positive patients on combination antiretroviral therapy are ineligible because of the potential for pharmacokinetic interactions with trametinib. In addition, these patients are at increased risk of lethal infections when treated with marrow-suppressive therapy * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness that would limit compliance with study requirement. * Inability to receive immunotherapy for the following reasons: * Any prior grade \>/=3 immune-related adverse event (irAE) while receiving any previous immunotherapy agent or any unresolved irAE grade \>1 * Active or prior documented autoimmune disease within the past 2 years. NOTE: Subjects with vitiligo, Grave's disease, or psoriasis not requiring systemic treatment (within the past 2 years) are not excluded. Exceptions allowed with the consent of the principal investigator (Dr. Sherman) * Active inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis) * History of primary immunodeficiency * History of allogeneic organ transplant * Known history of previous clinical diagnosis of active tuberculosis (this does not include a history of being PPD positive)
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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
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Limited Protocol Activities)
Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen (Limited Protocol Activities)
Montvale, New Jersey, 07645, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York, 10065, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center @ Commack (Limited Protocol Activities)
Commack, New York, 11725, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth (Limited Protocol Activities)
Middletown, New Jersey, 07748, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau (Limited Protocol Activities)
Uniondale, New York, 11553, United States
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester (Limited Protocol Activities)
Harrison, New York, 10604, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can heat replace the scalpel for small thyroid tumors?