Blood test may predict who needs less immunotherapy after lung cancer surgery
NCT ID NCT06902272
First seen Jul 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing whether a blood test that looks for bits of tumor DNA (called ctDNA) can predict how well people with early-stage lung cancer respond to treatment. Researchers want to see if the test can identify patients who have no cancer left after chemotherapy and immunotherapy, so they might safely receive less immunotherapy after surgery. The trial involves about 30 adults with stage IB to IIIB non-small cell lung cancer who are scheduled for surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a blood test that measures circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to guide treatment decisions, along with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could allow some patients to receive less immunotherapy after surgery, reducing side effects while still preventing cancer from returning.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study, so results may not apply to all patients. The ctDNA test may not reliably predict outcomes, and reducing immunotherapy could increase the risk of cancer recurrence.
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 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2029
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: 1. Eligible participants must be males or females ≥18 years of age on day of signing the informed consent form. 2. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status (PS) 0-1 3. Participants with histologically confirmed Stage IB (≥4 cm), II, or IIIB (N2) NSCLC (as per the 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)) who are considered resectable by a multidisciplinary team and who are going to be treated with neoadjuvant treatment including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and in some cases radiation before surgery 4. Measurable disease according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) 5. Participants must have tumor tissue available for programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemical (IHC) testing performed by a third-party analyzing lab during the screening period: 1. Either a formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue block or unstained tumor tissue sections, with an associated pathology report, must be submitted for biomarker evaluation prior to randomization. The tumor tissue sample may be fresh or archival if obtained within 6 months prior to enrollment 2. Tissue must be a core needle biopsy, excisional or incisional biopsy. Fine needle biopsies obtained by endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) are not considered adequate for biomarker review and randomization. Core needle biopsies obtained by EBUS are acceptable for randomization. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic disease. Mediastinal lymph node samples at levels 4 (bilaterally) and 7 are required for clinical staging to assess nodal involvement in participants with mediastinal adenopathy on positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan (PET/CT). 2. Participants with known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocation 3. Previous exposure to anti-cancer therapy, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy or immunotherapy, and previous exposure to immunosuppressive drugs within 3 weeks before neoadjuvant treatment 4. Participants with impaired decision-making capacity .
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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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University of Miami
RECRUITINGMiami, Florida, 33136, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a new drug shrink advanced solid tumors?
- Can a targeted drug delivery system shrink lung tumors?
- Can a new drug shrink tumors that resist standard care?
- Can a Three-Dose immunotherapy cure early lung cancer without surgery?
- Can a new drug shrink advanced solid tumors?
- Can a less extensive lung cancer surgery be just as effective?