Could keytruda tame tough prostate cancers?

NCT ID NCT04104893

First seen Mar 06, 2026 · Last updated Jun 23, 2026 · Updated 13 times

Summary

This phase 2 study tests pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in 40 men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer that has specific genetic flaws (mismatch repair deficiency or CDK12 inactivation). The goal is to see if the drug can shrink tumors or slow the cancer. Researchers will also study tumor samples to understand why some men respond and others don't.

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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

  • Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, Pay Pines, FL

    Bay Pines, Florida, 33744, United States

  • Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

  • Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC

    Durham, North Carolina, 27705, United States

  • Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, Richmond, VA

    Richmond, Virginia, 23249, United States

  • James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY

    The Bronx, New York, 10468, United States

  • Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL

    Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States

  • Manhattan Campus of the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY

    New York, New York, 10010, United States

  • San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA

    San Francisco, California, 94121, United States

  • VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI

    Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48105, United States

  • VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, West Los Angeles, CA

    West Los Angeles, California, 90073-1003, United States

  • VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR

    Portland, Oregon, 97207-2964, United States

  • VA Puget Sound Health Care System Seattle Division, Seattle, WA

    Seattle, Washington, 98108, United States

  • Washington DC VA Medical Center, Washington, DC

    Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20422-0001, 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 (Keytruda), a drug that helps the immune system attack cancer cells

What this could lead to

If successful, this could show that pembrolizumab is an effective treatment for certain men with advanced prostate cancer who have specific genetic changes.

What could go wrong

This is a small, early-phase trial with only 40 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drug may not shrink tumors or improve survival, and it can cause immune-related side effects.

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

mismatch repair cancer syndrome 1 prostate cancer

As listed by the trial registrant

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