Spinal fluid injection shows promise for tough lung cancer spread
NCT ID NCT06132698
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether injecting a PD-1 inhibitor (tislelizumab or pembrolizumab) plus pemetrexed directly into the spinal fluid can help people with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to the lining of the brain (leptomeningeal metastases). The trial will enroll 17 adults and measure how many respond to treatment, how long they live without the cancer worsening, and any side effects. It is a Phase 2, single-arm, open-label study.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Tislelizumab or pembrolizumab (PD-1 inhibitor) plus pemetrexed, given by injection into the spinal fluid
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new treatment option for lung cancer that has spread to the lining of the brain, potentially slowing the disease and improving symptoms.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-phase trial with only 17 people, so results may not apply widely. The treatment involves injecting drugs into the spinal fluid, which carries risks like infection or nerve damage, and it may not shrink tumors or extend life.
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 17 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2026
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 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: 1. Aged 18-75 years old, male or female; 2. Patients with pathologically diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer with cerebrospinal fluid and/or MRI diagnosis of leptomeningeal metastasis; 3. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 4; 4. Expected survival time of at least 4 weeks; 5. Oncologist clarification of the potential necessity of receiving systemic therapy for metastatic tumors outside the CNS; 6. Previous radiation therapy, including whole brain radiation, stereotactic radiosurgery, or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), which must be completed at least 7 days prior to the start of treatment; 7. Patients who have received approved targeted therapies (EGFR inhibitors, ALK inhibitors, or other targeted therapeutic agents), and other systemic therapies will be allowed to remain on concurrent therapy; concurrent intrathecal therapy with other agents will not be allowed. 8. Laboratory test indicators meet the following criteria: 1. Bone marrow function: hemoglobin (Hb) ≥80g/L; white blood cell count (WBC) ≥lower limit of normal; absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1.5×10\^9 /L; platelet count ≥70×109 /L; 2. Renal function: Cr ≤ ULN (upper limit of normal) × 1.5, endogenous creatinine clearance (Ccr) ≥ 55 ml/min; 3. Liver function: total bilirubin ≤ ULN × 1.5; ALT and AST ≤ ULN × 2.5; (if there is liver metastasis, total bilirubin is not higher than 3 times the upper limit of normal, and transaminases are not higher than 5 times the upper limit of normal); 4. Coagulation function: international normalized ratio of prothrombin time ≤ ULN × 1.5, and partial thromboplastin time within the normal value; 9. Females of child-bearing potential agree to use contraception during the study period and for 6 months after the completion of the study; patients who have had a negative serum or urine pregnancy test within seven days prior to enrollment in the study and who are not breastfeeding; and males agreeing to use contraception during the study period and for 6 months after the completion of the study; 10. Those who have not participated in another drug clinical trial within 4 weeks prior to enrollment; 11. Subjects who can understand the study situation and voluntarily sign the informed consent form; 12. Patients are expected to be compliant and able to follow up on efficacy and adverse events according to protocol requirements. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosis of other malignant tumors (except carcinoma in situ, basal cell carcinoma, etc.) within the previous 5 years; 2. History of allergy to pemetrexed and ICIs therapy; 3. Any previous intrathecal injection therapy; 4. Rule out differential diagnosis of LM:a. Aseptic meningitis b. Viral meningitis c. Bacterial meningitis; 5. Participation in other clinical trials or observation periods; 6. Clinical conditions that would interfere with the evaluation or interpretation of safety or findings, or impede the understanding of informed consent and compliance with protocol requirements; 7. Presence of any treatment-related toxicity from prior systemic antitumor therapy other than alopecia that does not meet CTCAE grade 1 (based on CTCAE 5.0); 8. Presence of any active autoimmune disease or history of autoimmune disease; immunodeficiency, active tuberculosis, hepatitis B ( hepatitis B virus titer HBV-DNA \<500 IU/ml after treatment and if liver function is normal will be allowed), or positive test for hepatitis C virus. 9. Either disease resulting in permanent immunosuppression or requiring permanent immunosuppressive therapy; 10. Presence of active infection or serious comorbidities; 11. uncontrolled epilepsy, neurologic failure, or severe neurologic impairment related to treatment; 12. Presence of hereditary or acquired bleeding and thrombotic tendencies; 13. History of severe injury or surgery within 1 month prior to enrollment; 14. Treatment with a live or attenuated vaccine used for the prevention of infectious diseases within 30 days prior to the first administration (injectable seasonal influenza vaccine is permitted); 15. Inability to complete an enhanced MRI; 16. Treatment with immunosuppressive drugs or corticosteroids (\> 10 mg prednisone or equivalent per day) within 14 days prior to enrollment; patients are allowed to receive steroid therapy to control CNS-related symptoms, but the dose must ≤ 5 mg per day of dexamethasone (or equivalent); in the absence of an active autoimmune disease, inhaled or topical steroids and adrenal gland replacement dosing are acceptable; alternative therapies (e.g., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) are permitted; patients with experimental medications that require premedication with corticosteroids are not restricted; 17. Individuals considered by the investigator to be unsuitable for enrollment.
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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
1 site. 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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West China Hospital of Sichuan University
RECRUITINGChengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China