Can a drug duo outsmart resistant lymphomas?

NCT ID NCT03179930

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

First seen Jul 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This phase II trial is testing whether combining two drugs—pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy that helps the immune system attack cancer cells, and entinostat, a drug that may make cancer cells more visible to the immune system—can shrink lymphomas that have come back or stopped responding to treatment. The study enrolls adults with classical Hodgkin lymphoma who have already tried at least two prior therapies. Researchers want to see if the pair works better than either drug alone.

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 the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab and the HDAC inhibitor entinostat
What this could lead to: If it works, this combination could offer a new treatment option for people with lymphomas that have stopped responding to standard therapies.
What could go wrong: This is an early-phase trial with only 47 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The combination may cause significant side effects and may not be more effective 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.

classic Hodgkin lymphoma lymphoma Recurrence

As listed by the trial registrant

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

LYMPHOMA REFRACTORY RELAPSED

Contacts and locations

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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
Northwestern University (Data Collection Only)

Evanston, Illinois, 60208, United States
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (Data Collection Only)

Buffalo, New York, 14263-0001, United States

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