Blood test may predict who needs less immunotherapy after lung cancer surgery

NCT ID NCT06902272

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 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

Phase 2

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

Participants

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jun 2025

Expected to finish

Jun 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

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. 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

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Miami

    RECRUITING

    Miami, Florida, 33136, United States

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