New cocktail of three drugs shows promise for tough brain cancer

NCT ID NCT03703167

Completed Disease control Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This early-phase trial tested a combination of three drugs—ibrutinib, rituximab, and lenalidomide—in 25 patients with central nervous system lymphoma that had returned or not responded to prior treatment. The main goal was to find the safest dose of ibrutinib when given with the other two drugs. Researchers also tracked how long patients lived without the cancer getting worse. The study is complete, but results are not yet published.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: ibrutinib, rituximab, and lenalidomide
What this could lead to: If successful, this combination could offer a new treatment option for patients with hard-to-treat central nervous system lymphoma that has come back or not responded to prior therapy.
What could go wrong: This is a very early (Phase 1) trial with only 25 participants, focused on safety and dosing. The combination may cause significant side effects, and it is too soon to know if it will work better than existing treatments.

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.

primary central nervous system lymphoma Recurrence

As listed by the trial registrant

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

PRIMARY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM LYMPHOMA (PCNSL) SECONDARY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM LYMPHOMA (SCNSL)

Contacts and locations

Locations

Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge

Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen

Montvale, New Jersey, 07645, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, New York, 10065, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Commack

Commack, New York, 11725, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth

Middletown, New Jersey, 07748, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau

Uniondale, New York, 11553, United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester

Harrison, New York, 10604, United States

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