Can a One-Two punch of immunotherapy and radiation tame sarcoma before surgery?
NCT ID NCT03463408
First seen Aug 17, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot trial is investigating whether giving two immunotherapy drugs, nivolumab and ipilimumab, along with radiation therapy before surgery can safely help treat soft tissue sarcoma. The study enrolls adults with resectable, intermediate-to-high grade sarcomas larger than 5 cm who are scheduled for preoperative radiation. The main goal is to evaluate the safety and side effects of this combination approach.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- nivolumab and ipilimumab (immunotherapy drugs) combined with radiation therapy
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could offer a new way to shrink sarcomas before surgery, potentially improving outcomes and reducing recurrence risk.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small pilot study focused on safety, so it may not show clear benefit. Combining immunotherapy with radiation can cause significant side effects.
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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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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14 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2018
- Finished
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Aug 2024
- 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: * Diagnosed with biopsy-proven soft-tissue sarcoma with confirmatory pathology review at University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) * 18 years or older. * Able to provide informed consent. * Resectable disease per surgical evaluation. * Neoadjuvant/preoperative radiotherapy has been recommended * Intermediate to high grade sarcoma on biopsy, tumor \> 5 cm in size by imaging * Willing to have blood draws for flow cytometry and Serametrix analysis. * Willing to receive neoadjuvant radiation therapy and subsequent surgical resection. * Patients with known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are eligible if the lymphocytes \> 350 CD4+ cells and no detectable viral load. * Women of childbearing potential (defined as any woman, who 1) has not undergone tubal ligation, a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or 2) has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 24 consecutive months or has had menses at any time in the preceding 24 consecutive months): * Must not be pregnant or nursing * Must have a negative pregnancy test done within 7 days prior to registration as well as within 72 hrs. prior to receiving first dose of study medication * Women of childbearing potential must use at least two other accepted and highly-effective methods of contraception and/or agree to abstain from sexual intercourse for at least 5 months after the last dose of nivolumab and/or ipilimumab. * Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. * Sexually active males must use at least two other accepted and highly-effective methods of contraception and/or agree to abstain from sexual intercourse for at least 7 months after the last dose of nivolumab and/or ipilimumab * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0 - 2 Exclusion Criteria: * Gastrointestinal stromal tumor, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, low-grade sarcomas, osteosarcoma subtypes * History of radiation to the affected area * Evidence of metastatic disease prior to treatment * Any history of prior therapy with ipilimumab or nivolumab, or any agent targeting PD-1, PD-L1 or CTLA-4. * History of any the following: * Active known or suspected autoimmune disease * Active autoimmune colitis * Autoimmune pan hypopituitarism * Autoimmune adrenal insufficiency * Known active hepatitis B or C * Known active pulmonary disease with hypoxia defined as: * Oxygen saturation \< 85% on room air or * Oxygen saturation \< 88% despite supplemental oxygen * No systemic treatment with either corticosteroids (\> 10 mg daily prednisone equivalents) or other immunosuppressive medications within 14 days of registration. * Second active malignancy, not including localized basal cell skin cancer, squamous cell skin cancer, in situ cervical cancer, ductal or lobular carcinoma in situ of the breast; patients with a history of other malignancies are eligible if they have been continuously disease-free for \> 3 years prior to the time of registration. * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \<= 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count \<= 100,000/mm\^3 * AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) or ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) =\> 2 x upper limit of normal (ULN) * Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) outside of normal limits; supplementation is acceptable to achieve a TSH within normal limits; in patients with abnormal TSH if free T4 is normal and patient is clinically euthyroid, patient is eligible. * Life expectancy under 5 years.
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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
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James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at University of Rochester Medical Center
Rochester, New York, 14642-0001, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a coordinated care team reduce severe side effects in older cancer patients?
- Can repeated MRI scans reveal how tumors respond to radiation?
- Can a new antibody help the immune system fight Hard-to-Treat tumors?