Immune cell therapy shows promise against rare eye cancer
NCT ID NCT03467516
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial tests whether a patient's own immune cells, called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), can shrink tumors in people with metastatic uveal melanoma, a rare and aggressive eye cancer. Participants receive chemotherapy to prepare their immune system, then an infusion of their own TIL cells followed by high-dose aldesleukin (IL-2). The study aims to confirm earlier promising results showing tumor shrinkage and durable responses in some patients.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) plus high-dose aldesleukin (IL-2)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a new treatment option for a rare and aggressive eye cancer that currently has no effective standard therapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (34 patients) and the treatment involves intensive chemotherapy and high-dose IL-2, which can cause serious side effects. Results may not apply to all patients.
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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
-
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15232, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Engineered immune cells take on Hard-to-Treat melanoma
- Liver-Directed chemo shows promise for eye cancer metastases