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NCT Number: NCT03389477

Los Tres Paso: Neoadjuvant Palbociclib Monotherapy, Concurrent Chemoradiation Therapy, Adjuvant Palbociclib Monotherapy in Patients With p16INK4a Negative, HPV-Unrelated Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results of treating patients with HPV-unrelated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with neoadjuvant single-agent palbociclib, followed by chemoradiation (either cisplatin + IMRT or cetuximab + IMRT depending on patient characteristics), followed by adjuvant single-agent palbociclib.

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This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Washington University School of Medicine

St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Larynx SCC, hypopharynx SCC, or oral cavity SCC. HPV-unrelated OPSCC [defined as p16INK4a negative by IHC (staining in < 70% of cells) or HPV High Risk (Type 16 or 18) negative by ISH]. P16INK4a positive larynx SCC, hypopharynx SCC, and oral cavity SCC are eligible given the unknown effect of this on the biology of SCC of these subsites.
  • Overall Stage III, IVA, or IVB disease per AJCC version 7.0
  • Measurable disease defined as lesions that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as ≥ 10 mm with CT scan, as ≥ 20 mm by chest x-ray, or ≥ 10 mm with calipers by clinical exam.
  • At least 18 years of age.
  • Normal bone marrow function as defined below:
  • Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,000/mcL
  • Platelets ≥ 100,000/mcL
  • Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL
  • QTc < 500 msec by Fridericia
  • Women of childbearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control, abstinence) prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation, and for 90 days after completion of treatment. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she must inform her treating physician immediately.
  • Ability to understand and willingness to sign an IRB approved written informed consent document (or that of legally authorized representative, if applicable).

Additional Cohort 1 Eligibility Criteria: Patients enrolling to Cohort 1 must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1
  • Adequate organ function defined as:
  • Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (IULN) and creatinine clearance ≥ 75 mL/min
  • Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x IULN
  • ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 x IULN

Additional Cohort 2 Eligibility Criteria: Patients enrolling to Cohort 2 must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • ECOG performance status of 2
  • Reduced organ function defined as:
  • Creatinine clearance 30-75 mL/min
  • Bilirubin 1.5-2 x IULN
  • ALT and AST 2.5-5 x IULN

Exclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of cutaneous, paranasal sinus, salivary, or nasopharynx SCC, or diagnosis of neck nodes with unknown primary.
  • Diagnosis of P16/HPV-ISH positive OPSCC.
  • Presence of distant metastatic disease.
  • Prior systemic therapy for current diagnosis of HNSCC.
  • A history of other malignancy ≤ 2 years previous with the exception of basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin which were treated with local resection only or low risk/curatively treated prostate, thyroid, and cervical cancers.
  • Currently receiving any other investigational agents.
  • Treated within the last 7 days prior to Day 1 of protocol therapy with:
  • Food or drugs that are known to be STRONG CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g. grapefruit juice, verapamil, ketoconazole, miconazole, itraconazole, erythromycin, clarithromycin, telithromycin, indinavir, ritonavir, nelfinavir, atazanavir, amprenavir, nefazodone, diltiazem, and delavirdine) or inducers (e.g. glucocorticoids, progesterone, rifampin, phenobarbital, St. John's wort) [moderate CYP3A4 inhibitors/inducers are okay]
  • Drugs that are known to prolong the QT interval
  • Drugs that are proton pump inhibitors
  • A history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to palbociclib, cisplatin (for Cohort 1), or cetuximab (for Cohort 2).
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or uncontrolled electrolyte disorders that can compound the effects of a QTc-prolonging drug (e.g. hypocalcemia, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia).
  • History of cirrhosis.
  • History of renal or liver transplant.
  • Pregnant and/or breastfeeding. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 28 days of study entry. Female patients must be surgically sterile or be postmenopausal, or must agree to use effective contraception during the period of the trial and for at least 90 days after completion of treatment.
  • Known HIV-positivity and on combination antiretroviral therapy because of the potential for pharmacokinetic interactions with palbociclib. In addition, these patients are at increased risk of lethal infections when treated with marrow-suppressive therapy.
  • Rb (retinoblastoma) loss: mutation or homozygous deletion described on genomic sequencing report.

Treatment and study plan

Palbociclib

Drug

Palbociclib is an oral drug available as capsules (or as liquid suspension). The capsules should be taken with food

Other names: Ibrance, PD 0332991

Cetuximab

Drug

-Cetuximab must not be administered as an IV push or bolus

Other names: Erbitux

Cisplatin

Drug

-Patients will receive cisplatin via intravenous (IV) infusion over 60 minutes.

Other names: Platinol-AQ, Platinol

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy

Radiation

-Once daily fractions Monday through Friday, with one additional fraction of RT administered on (preferably) Fridays

Other names: IMRT

Tumor Biopsy

Procedure
  • Tumor tissue will be collected at baseline and then after two cycles of neoadjuvant palbociclib monotherapy
  • If the patient has been previously enrolled in Washington University's TAP protocol (head and neck bank, HRPO #201102323), tissue that has been banked may be accessed in lieu of fresh biopsy at baseline.

Peripheral blood draw

Procedure

Baseline and post-treatment

Primary outcomes

  1. Tumor Response Rate of Newly Diagnosed p16INK4a Negative, HPV-unrelated HNSCC to Neoadjuvant Palbociclib Monotherapy

    Time frame: 2 cycles (56 days)

    • Tumor response rate is defined as the proportion of subjects who achieve a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) based on RECIST criteria
    • CR: Disappearance of all target lesions. Any pathological lymph nodes (whether target or non-target) must have reduction in short axis to <10 mm. Disappearance of all non-target lesions and normalization of tumor marker level. All lymph nodes must be non-pathological in size (<10 mm short axis).
    • PR: At least a 30% decrease in the sum of the diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum diameters.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Combined Local-regional Disease Relapse Risk and Distant Metastases Risk Following Completion of CRT

    Time frame: Through 18 months after completion of step 2

    • Local-regional disease relapse, a binary variable (Yes vs. No). Local-regional disease relapse rate is defined as the proportion of subjects alive who have local-regional progressed disease at 18 months following completion of CRT, stratified by cohorts.
    • Distant metastases, a binary variable (Yes vs. No). Distant metastases rate is defined as the proportion of subjects alive who have distant metastases at 18 months following completion of CRT, stratified by cohorts.
  2. Median Progression-free Survival (PFS) (Stratified by Cohort) of Patients Treated With the Three Step Sequence of Palbociclib Monotherapy, CRT, and Adjuvant Palbociclib Monotherapy

    Time frame: Through 5 years after completion of step 2

    -Progression-free survival (PFS), defined as the interval from the start of Step 2 (CRT) to the first documentation of disease progression or death from any cause or the end of follow-up, stratified by cohorts.

  3. Progression-free Survival (PFS) of Patients Treated With the Three Step Sequence of Palbociclib Monotherapy, CRT, and Adjuvant Palbociclib Monotherapy

    Time frame: Through 2 years after completion of step 2

    -Progression-free survival (PFS), defined as the days from the start of Step 2 (CRT) to the first documentation of disease progression or death from any cause or the end of follow-up

  4. Median Overall Survival (OS) of Patients Treated With the Three Step Sequence of Palbociclib Monotherapy, CRT, and Adjuvant Palbociclib Monotherapy

    Time frame: Through 5 years after completion of step 2

    -Overall survival (OS), defined as the days from the time of diagnosis to death from any cause or the end of follow-up

  5. Overall Survival of Patients Treated With the Three Step Sequence of Palbociclib Monotherapy, CRT, and Adjuvant Palbociclib Monotherapy

    Time frame: Through 2 years after completion of step 2

    -Overall survival (OS), defined as the days from the time of diagnosis to death from any cause or the end of follow-up

  6. Change in Genomic Alterations in Tumor Tissue

    Time frame: At baseline and at time of disease relapse (up to 5 years)

    Tumor genomic alterations at baseline and at relapse will be compared to assess for potential mechanisms of primary or secondary resistance to palbociclib.

  7. Association Between Baseline Tumor CDKN2A and CCND1 Alterations and Tumor Response to Palbociclib Given Before CRT and Relapse After CRT

    Time frame: At baseline and at time of disease relapse (up to 5 years)

    Number of participants with altered versus wild-type at baseline will be compared with response.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Washington University School of Medicine

Other

Collaborators

  • Pfizer

Registry information

Official study title

Los Tres Paso Trial: Step One - Neoadjuvant Palbociclib Monotherapy, Step Two - Concurrent Chemoradiation Therapy, and Step Three - Adjuvant Palbociclib Monotherapy in Patients With p16INK4a Negative, HPV-Unrelated Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 3, 2018
Registry last updated
Apr 21, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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