Can chemotherapy reboot immunotherapy in resistant melanoma?

NCT ID NCT04225390

Completed Disease control Sponsor: University of Erlangen-Nürnberg Medical School Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This phase 2 trial tested whether giving the chemotherapy drug dacarbazine (DTIC) before re-trying immunotherapy could help patients with advanced melanoma whose cancer had stopped responding to immunotherapy. The study enrolled 38 adults with metastatic melanoma that had progressed after PD-1/PD-L1 or PD-1 plus CTLA-4 blockade. The goal was to see if DTIC could break resistance and allow immunotherapy to work again.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: dacarbazine (DTIC)
What this could lead to: If successful, this approach could offer a new way to overcome resistance to immunotherapy in advanced melanoma patients.
What could go wrong: This is a small, single-arm phase 2 trial with only 38 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The treatment may not improve outcomes and could cause side effects from chemotherapy.

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

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

metastatic melanoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

IMMUNOTHERAPY

Contacts and locations

Locations

University Hospital

Erlangen, Bavaria, 91054, Germany

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