Immunotherapy boosts chemo to wipe out hidden leukemia cells

NCT ID NCT04214249

First seen Mar 20, 2026 · Last updated Jun 19, 2026 · Updated 11 times

Summary

This phase 2 trial tests whether adding the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab to standard chemotherapy helps people with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) achieve a deeper remission. About 49 participants will receive either chemo alone or chemo plus pembrolizumab. The main goal is to see if the combination can eliminate all traces of leukemia (minimal residual disease) better than chemo alone.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center/Dartmouth Cancer Center

    Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03756, United States

  • Mayo Clinic in Florida

    Jacksonville, Florida, 32224-9980, United States

  • Northwestern University

    Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States

  • UC Irvine Health/Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Orange, California, 92868, United States

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Center

    Birmingham, Alabama, 35233, United States

  • VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States

  • Wake Forest Baptist Health - Wilkes Medical Center

    Wilkesboro, North Carolina, 28659, United States

  • Wake Forest University Health Sciences

    Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States

  • Wake Forest University at Clemmons

    Clemmons, North Carolina, 27012, United States

  • Yale University

    New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, United States

What this could mean

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

Active substance

pembrolizumab (immunotherapy) plus standard chemotherapy (cytarabine and idarubicin or daunorubicin)

What this could lead to

If successful, this combination could help more people with AML achieve a deep remission with no detectable cancer cells left.

What could go wrong

This is a small, early-phase trial (49 people) and the added immunotherapy may cause immune-related side effects. It is not yet proven to improve long-term survival.

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

acute myeloid leukemia therapy related acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

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