The CORINTH trial is for patients with more advanced (stage 3 and 4) anal cancer. The numbers of patients with anal cancer is increasing and only 65% patients with this later stage anal cancer have not had a recurrence 3 years after treatment. Anal cancer responds well to chemo-radiation (CRT) and this would be the treatment used for standard clinical care. The chemotherapy in CORINTH will be the same as standard of care (Mitomycin and 5FU or capecitabine) and the radiotherapy (RT) will be delivered using a technique where the dose intensity of RT can be modulated for different areas of the tumor (Intensity Modulated RT - IMRT). Translational samples (tissue blocks and blood) will be collected at baseline with further blood and tissue samples during and after treatment. Pembrolizumab, a relatively new drug, is a monoclonal antibody that enhances the body's immune response to cancer cells by acting on a receptor on the surface of T-cells called Programmed Death -1 (PD-1). The CORINTH study aims to see whether pembrolizumab, can be added safely to standard CRT. We will explore how safe the combination is and how well tolerated it is for patients with stage 3 and 4 anal cancer. If it is tolerable more patients will be treated to see if there is a similar or better clinical response. The trial is designed in 3 groups of patients. All patients will receive eight infusions of pembrolizumab at three weekly intervals. Each infusion lasts approximately 1 hour. The first group will not get pembrolizumab until they have already had 4 weeks of CRT (Day 29). As long as this is not found to cause too many extra side effects, the next group will have infusions at the beginning of the third week of CRT. The final group (cohort 3) will start their pembrolizumab with the first day of CRT i.e. Day 1. Initially each group will have 6 patients. Provided each group of patients finds the treatment tolerable and it is safe, more patients will be recruited into the group that receives the pembrolizumab earliest during their CRT. This will add further credence to the safety and tolerability of the combination and may provide a signal of how effective this treatment might be in improving outcomes for patients with more advanced anal cancer.
CORINTH is a multi center trial with a single arm. Patients will be recruited into 3 successive cohorts followed by an expansion of the final cohort. For each cohort the first dose of Pembrolizumab will be given at an earlier time point during the chemo-radiation (CRT). Pembrolizumab will be given as an IV infusion every 21 days, and a total of 8 infusions per patient at 200mg per infusion. The first dose of pembrolizumab will be given at the following times: COHORT 1: beginning at Week 5 day 1 of CRT schedule COHORT 2: beginning at Week 3 day 1 of CRT schedule COHORT 3: beginning at Week 1 day 1 of CRT schedule\*\* Cohort 2 will be dependent on a Safety Review Committee (SRC) recommendation. If the SRC are concerned about toxicity in Cohort 1 but not sufficiently to stop the study, they are able to recommend that Cohort 2 can change to commence pembrolizumab at week 4. If the SRC are concerned about toxicity in Cohort 2 but not sufficiently to stop the study, they are able to recommend that Cohort 3 can change to commence pembrolizumab at week 2. Potential participants will be under the care of a consultant who specializes in the treatment of anal cancer and the patient will have been identified as requiring CRT treatment for their anal cancer. They will be assessed for eligibility before being consented and allocated to the current cohort. # Patients will be monitored for Adverse Events which will be assessed according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) 4.03. Treatment guidelines are given for any immune related or infusion related events. Adverse Event review will take place weekly during CRT and at every pembrolizumab visit as well as key time during follow up. Patient reported outcomes will be assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) tool during CRT, pembrolizumab treatment and follow up. Patients will be followed up for 12 months.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
52
Pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, concomitantly with standard CRT in patients with locally advanced T3/4 anal cancer.
Oslo University Hospital
Oslo, Norway
Aberdeen Royal Informary
Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Velindre Cancer Centre
Cardiff, United Kingdom
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Colchester, United Kingdom
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Leeds, United Kingdom
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Manchester, United Kingdom
Mount Vernon Cancer Centre
Northwood, United Kingdom
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Oxford, United Kingdom
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Sheffield, United Kingdom
...and 1 more locations
Safety and tolerability- 30 days post CRT
To assess safety of different schedules of exposure to pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, concomitantly with standard CRT in patients with locally advanced T 3/4 anal cancer. Grade 3 to 5 treatment related adverse events (CTCAE - v.4.03) will be reported at 30 days post chemoradiotherapy.
Time frame: 30 days post chemoradiotherapy
Safety and tolerability- 6 weeks post CRT
To assess the safety of different schedules of exposure to pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, concomitantly with standard CRT in patients with locally advanced T3/4 anal cancer. Grade 3 to 5 treatment related adverse events (CTCAE v.4.03) will be reported at 6 weeks post chemoradiotherapy.
Time frame: 6 weeks post chemoradiotherapy
Safety and tolerability - 12 weeks post CRT
To assess the safety of different schedules of exposure to pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, concomitantly with standard CRT in patients with locally advanced T3/4 anal cancer. Grade 3 to 5 treatment related adverse events (CTCAE v.4.03) will be reported at 12 weeks post chemoradiotherapy.
Time frame: 12 weeks post chemoradiotherapy
Safety and tolerability - 6 months post CRT
To assess the safety of different schedules of exposure to pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, concomitantly with standard CRT in patients with locally advanced T3/4 anal cancer. Grade 3 to 5 treatment related adverse events (CTCAE v.4.03) will be reported at 6 months post chemoradiotherapy.
Time frame: 6 months post chemoradiotherapy
Safety and tolerability- 9 months post CRT
To assess the safety and of different schedules of exposure to pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, concomitantly with standard CRT in patients with locally advanced T3/4 anal cancer. Grade 3 to 5 treatment related adverse events (CTCAE Adverse Events v.4.03) will be reported at 9 months post chemo-radiotherapy.
Time frame: 9 months post chemoradiotherapy
Safety and tolerability- 12 months post CRT
To assess the safety of different schedules of exposure to pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, concomitantly with standard CRT in patients with locally advanced T3/4 anal cancer. Grade 3 to 5 treatment related adverse events (CTCAE v.4.03) will be reported at 12 months post chemoradiotherapy.
Time frame: 12 months post chemoradiotherapy
Adherence to protocol treatment
Adherence to protocol treatment will be assessed by numbers of patients receiving per protocol treatment, dose delays, treatment reductions, treatment discontinuation and documenting the reasons for delays or discontinuation for each patient.
Time frame: Up to 6 months post chemoradiotherapy
Recruitment
Recruitment rate will be assessed by the number of days study is open for recruitment, the number of patients screened, the number of screened patients not recruited and why and the number (proportion) of patients recruited.
Time frame: 2 years
Retention
Retention will be assessed by the proportion of patients withdrawing from protocol treatment and number of patients lost to follow-up with documentation of reasons in each case.
Time frame: Up to 12 months post chemoradiotherapy
Study eligibility
Study eligibility will be assessed by the number of patients eligible and ineligible at screening and reasons for ineligibility.
Time frame: 2 years
Clinical response assessment - 3 months post CRT
Clinical response assessment will be measured by RECIST v 1.1 (MRI) for the overall response rate (ORR) at 3 months post chemoradiotherapy.
Time frame: 3 months post chemoradiotherapy
Clinical response assessment - 6 months post CRT
Clinical response assessment will be measured by RECIST v 1.1 (MRI) for the overall response rate (ORR) at 6 months post chemoradiotherapy.
Time frame: 6 months post chemoradiotherapy
Clinical response assessment - 12 months follow up
Clinical response assessment will be measured by RECIST v 1.1 (MRI) for the overall response rate (ORR) at 12 months follow up
Time frame: 12 months follow up
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Imaging response - 3 months post CRT
Imaging response will be assessed by Tumor Regression Grade MRI by changes in Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) on DW sequences. Immune related modified RECIST assessments (MRI) at 3 months post chemoradiotherapy.
Time frame: 3 months post chemo-radiotherapy
Imaging response - 6 months post CRT
Imaging response will be assessed by Tumor Regression Grade MRI by changes in Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) on DW sequences. Immune related modified RECIST assessments (MRI) at 6 months post chemoradiotherapy.
Time frame: 6 months post chemoradiotherapy
Imaging response - 12 months follow up
Imaging response will be assessed by Tumor Regression Grade MRI by changes in Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) on DW sequences. Immune related modified RECIST assessments (MRI) at 12 months follow up.
Time frame: 12 months follow up
Patient reported outcome - up to 6 months post CRT
Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) will be measured by using the EORTC quality of life questionnaires during CRT and 6 months post-CRT.
Time frame: Up to 6 months post chemoradiotherapy
Patient reported outcome - 12 months follow up
Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) will be measured by using the EORTC quality of life questionnaires at 12 months follow up
Time frame: 12 months follow up