Common painkiller could boost immunotherapy in advanced lung cancer
NCT ID NCT06731270
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase II trial tests whether adding diclofenac, a common anti-inflammatory painkiller, can help control advanced non-small cell lung cancer when immunotherapy alone starts to show signs of failing. About 20 adults whose cancer has progressed while on standard immunotherapy drugs like pembrolizumab or atezolizumab will receive diclofenac alongside their current treatment. The goal is to see if this combination can shrink tumors or slow the disease.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- diclofenac
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a way to extend the benefit of immunotherapy for people with advanced lung cancer, potentially delaying disease progression.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 20 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Diclofenac also has known risks like stomach bleeding and kidney issues.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Capable of signing informed consent * Age ≥ 18 years at time of study entry * Stage III or IV pathologically proven NSCLC with advanced or metastatic disease, currently on treatment with an Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved single agent monoclonal antibody inhibiting the PD(L)-1 pathway (pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, nivolumab, or cemiplimab) for a minimum of 12 weeks * May include frontline single agent immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), maintenance single agent ICI after chemo-ICI, or subsequent line therapy * Radiographic evidence of clinical progression as determined by the treating physician, not warranting immediate change of therapy. Progressive disease by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria is not required. This can include mixed response, will need at least one growing lesion. Exposure to PD1 inhibitor for at least 12 weeks will minimize the risk of pseudo-progression * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2 * Life expectancy of ≥ 26 weeks * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1,000 cell/mm\^3 * Platelets ≥ 100,000 cells/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 8 gm/dL * Creatinine clearance ≥ 45 ml/ml * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal * Bilirubin must be ≤ 3 x institutional upper limit of normal in patients with documented Gilbert's syndrome * Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) / serum gluatmic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) ≤ 2.5 x institutional upper limit of normal * Ability to take oral medications * Willingness and able to comply with the protocol for the duration of the study including undergoing treatment and scheduled visits and examinations including follow up Exclusion Criteria: * Concurrent enrollment in another clinical study, unless it is non-therapeutic * Prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation therapy including but not limited to: warfarin, heparin, low molecular weight heparin, or direct oral anticoagulants, including: dabigatran (Pradaxa), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), apixaban (Eliquis), edoxaban (Savaysa), and betrixaban (Bevyxxa) * Treatment within the previous 6 weeks or planned initiation of bevacizumab * Abnormal markers of coagulation as measured by international normalized ratio (INR) \> 2 * Contraindication for NSAID therapy including: chronic aspirin therapy for coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular accident (CVA), or other indication, uncontrolled gastrointestinal ulcerative disease, known bleeding diathesis, known allergy or hypersensitivity to NSAIDS, advanced renal disease, uncontrolled hypertension, known seizure disorder or others * Female of childbearing potential unwilling or unable to use 2 methods of contraception, detailed in protocol * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness * History of another primary malignancy with exceptions noted in protocol * History of active primary immunodeficiency or active infection including tuberculosis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C * Current or prior use of immunosuppressive medication within 14 days before the first dose of diclofenac. There are exceptions to this criterion * Receipt of live attenuated vaccine within 30 days prior to the first dose of study medications * Judgment by the investigator that the patient is unsuitable to participate in the study and the patient is unlikely to comply with study procedures, restrictions and requirements
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Emory University Hospital Midtown
RECRUITINGAtlanta, Georgia, 30308, United States
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Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute
RECRUITINGAtlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States
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