New Vaccine-Immunotherapy cocktail shows promise in ovarian cancer trial
NCT ID NCT03029403
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 2 study tests whether combining the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with an experimental vaccine called DPX-Survivac and low-dose chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide) can shrink tumors in people with advanced ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer. The vaccine teaches the immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells, while pembrolizumab removes a brake on the immune system. The trial enrolled 47 participants who had already received platinum-based chemotherapy and whose cancer had progressed.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- pembrolizumab (Keytruda), DPX-Survivac vaccine, and cyclophosphamide
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this combination could offer a new treatment option that helps control advanced ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer by boosting the immune system to attack cancer cells.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (47 participants) with no control group, so results may not apply broadly. The combination may cause side effects like immune-related reactions or infections, and it is not yet proven to be effective.
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
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47 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2018
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced epithelial ovarian, primary peritoneal or fallopian tube carcinomas. * Patients must have radiologically documented disease progression from their prior line of therapy. * Patients must have measurable disease based on RECIST 1.1. * Have received a front line platinum-based regimen (administered via either IV or IP) following primary or interval debulking surgery with documented disease recurrence. * Have fulfilled the following additional requirements regarding prior treatments depending on the cohort that the patient is to be enrolled in. * Eastern Cooperative Group (ECOG) performance status \<=1. * Life expectancy greater than 16 weeks. * Availability of archival tumor tissue samples. Additional samples may be requested if tumor tissue provided is not adequate for quality and/or quantity as assessed by the laboratory. * Be willing to provide tumor tissue from a newly obtained core or excisional biopsy prior to start treatment and on day 15 of cycle 1. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents. * Diagnosis of immunodeficiency or therapy with systemic steroid or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment. * History of autoimmune disease, such as but not restricted to, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematous, ankylosing spondylitis, scleroderma, or multiple sclerosis requiring treatment within the last two years. Patients with vitiligo or diabetes are not excluded. * Patients with history of thyroiditis within 5 years. * Patients with known history of active TB (Bacillus Tuberculosis). * Patients with known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. * Hypersensitivity to Pembrolizumab, DPX-Survivac immunovaccine, Cyclophosphamide or any of their excipients. * Patients that have received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy. * Prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2 agent or DPX-Survivac vaccine.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2M9, Canada
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- A multicenter, randomized, open-label phase III study of IBI354 versus Investigator's choice of chemotherapy in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer
- Operationalising multifactorial ovarian cancer risk assessment using the CanRisk tool versus standard practices.
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- Can tracking symptoms improve care for children with advanced cancer?