In this open-label, multicenter, Phase II study, the investigators propose to evaluate the efficacy of ruxolitinib, an orally administered inhibitor of JAK1/2, in solid organ transplant recipients with advanced cSCC. In a safety lead-in of 6 patients, subjects will receive ruxolitinib 15mg twice daily (BID). After 4 weeks, if dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) are observed in 1 or fewer patients, the study will enter stage 1 of the Simon two-stage design where all subsequent patients will receive a starting dose of ruxolitinib 15mg BID. If more than 1 DLTs are observed, another cohort of 6 patients will be treated at a dose of 10mg BID. If less than 2 DLTs are observed at the new dose of 10mg, then the study will proceed to stage I using this dose; otherwise the study will stop.
Approximately 5.4 million individuals in the United States are diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) annually, with the incidence increasing over time. Twenty-five percent are cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCC), which affect up to 1,350,000 individuals and result in up to 12,000 deaths annually in the US alone. Immunosuppressed patients are particularly vulnerable to the development of highly aggressive or catastrophic cSCC. Patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy, such as solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs), and HIV/AIDS patients have an estimated 60 to 250-fold increased risk of cSCC development. In renal SOTRs, cSCC represents over 70% of all malignancies that develop, with an incidence up to 200 times that of the general population. Post-transplant cSCC occurs at a younger age and is more aggressive than in non-transplant cohorts, with 30% of cSCC recurring within 1 year and up to 8% of disease associated with metastasis. The median survival from diagnosis of metastasis is 3 years.5 Cemiplimab, an anti-PD1 antibody, recently became the first agent to achieve regulatory approval for the treatment of advanced cSCC; however, due to the risk of graft rejection, the role of immunological checkpoint blockade in the SOTR population is extremely limited. Thus, although surgical excision is effective for sporadic cSCC, there remains a large unmet medical need for novel strategies for treatment and/or prevention of multiply recurrent, locally advanced, and metastatic cSCC, particularly in immunosuppressed patients.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
3
Ruxolitinib will be administered orally twice daily during the entirety of each 28-day cycle.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
New York, New York, United States
Overall Response Rate (ORR)
The primary endpoint is the overall response rate as defined as the best response, confirmed at ≥4 weeks using RECIST v1.1 criteria. Responses defined as: Complete Response (CR): Disappearance of all target lesions. Any pathological lymph nodes must have reduction in short axis to \<10 mm. Partial Response (PR): At least a 30% decrease in the sum of the diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters. Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of the diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study. In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of at least 5 mm. (Note: the appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered progressions). Stable Disease (SD): Neither sufficient shrinkage to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to qualify for PD, taking as reference the smallest sum diameters while on study.
Time frame: within the first 24 weeks of the start of study therapy
Progression-Free Survival (PFS)
Progression-free survival (PFS) (time alive without advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) probabilities will be estimated
Time frame: Up to 14 months
Overall Survival (OS)
The length of time from the start of treatment that subjects with the disease are still alive.
Time frame: Up to17 months
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