Radiation boosts immunotherapy in melanoma? small trial halted early

NCT ID NCT02562625

Terminated Disease control Sponsor: Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This phase II trial tested whether adding radiotherapy to the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab could better control advanced melanoma than pembrolizumab alone. Only 17 people took part before the study was stopped early. The goal was to see if radiation could trigger an 'abscopal effect'—shrinking not just the treated tumor but also others in the body.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Pembrolizumab (a drug that helps the immune system fight cancer) and radiotherapy (targeted radiation)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could point toward a more effective combination treatment for advanced melanoma that has spread.
What could go wrong: This was a very small, early-phase trial that was terminated early, so results are limited. The combination may not work better than pembrolizumab alone and could have added side effects.

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.

melanoma metastatic melanoma

As listed by the trial registrant

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

MELANOMA

Contacts and locations

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Locations

Royal Marsden

London, United Kingdom

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