Could a heart drug help immunotherapy fight breast cancer again?

NCT ID NCT05741164

Recruiting now Disease control Sponsor: Emory University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This phase 2 trial tests whether adding the beta-blocker propranolol to the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab can help shrink tumors in people with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer that has stopped responding to checkpoint inhibitors. About 37 adults with advanced, unresectable cancer will receive both drugs and be monitored for tumor response. The goal is to see if propranolol can re-sensitize the immune system to fight the cancer.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Propranolol (a beta-blocker) and pembrolizumab (an immunotherapy drug)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a new treatment option for people with triple-negative breast cancer that no longer responds to standard immunotherapy.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-phase trial with only 37 participants. It is testing a combination in a hard-to-treat cancer, so success is uncertain and benefits may not apply to all patients.

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.

breast cancer triple-negative breast carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

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

ANATOMIC STAGE III BREAST CANCER AJCC V8 ANATOMIC STAGE IV BREAST CANCER AJCC V8 METASTATIC TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CARCINOMA REFRACTORY TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CARCINOMA UNRESECTABLE TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CARCINOMA

Contacts and locations

Locations

Emory University Hospital
RECRUITING

Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
WITHDRAWN

Buffalo, New York, 14263, United States

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