Can a malaria drug boost immunotherapy for a tough skin cancer?
NCT ID NCT07750067
First seen Aug 06, 2026 · Last updated Aug 11, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This phase 2 trial is testing whether adding hydroxychloroquine—a drug commonly used for malaria—to a MEK inhibitor (tunlametinib) and an immunotherapy (pucotenlimab) can improve outcomes for people with advanced NRAS-mutant melanoma. The study aims to see if this combination can shrink tumors and delay progression, while also exploring how autophagy inhibition might make cancer cells more visible to the immune system. Participants must have unresectable or metastatic melanoma with an NRAS mutation.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A combination of hydroxychloroquine (an autophagy inhibitor), tunlametinib (a MEK inhibitor), and pucotenlimab (an anti-PD-1 antibody)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this combination could offer a new treatment option for people with advanced NRAS-mutant melanoma, potentially improving tumor shrinkage and delaying progression.
- What could go wrong
- This is a phase 2 trial with a small number of participants, so results may not be conclusive. The combination may cause significant side effects, and the benefit over existing therapies is not yet proven.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for MELANOMA METASTATIC are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
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
-
Sun Yat-sen University
RECRUITINGGuangzhou, Guangdong, 510000, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Could a chicory root fiber supercharge immunotherapy against skin cancer?
- Scientists harness Patients' own immune cells to attack Treatment-Resistant melanoma
- New targeted drug hopes to shrink NRAS-Driven cancers
- Engineered immune cells take on advanced skin and soft tissue cancers
- Could a simple scan replace biopsies for cancer immunotherapy?
- Could one year of immunotherapy be enough for advanced melanoma?