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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04303169

Substudy 02C: Safety and Efficacy of Pembrolizumab in Combination With Investigational Agents or Pembrolizumab Alone in Participants With Stage III Melanoma Who Are Candidates for Neoadjuvant Therapy (MK-3475-02C/KEYMAKER-U02)

Substudy 02C is part of a larger research study that is testing experimental treatments for melanoma, a type of skin cancer. The larger study is the umbrella study.

The goal of substudy 02C is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of investigational treatment arms in participants with Stage III melanoma who are candidates for neoadjuvant therapy to identify the investigational agent(s) that, when used in combination, are superior to the current treatment options/historical control available.

Arm 1: Pembrolizumab + Vibostolimab, Arm 2: Pembrolizumab + Gebasaxturev, and Arm 3: Pembrolizumab were added in the base protocol on 13-Nov-2019, and enrollment into those arms has been completed. Arm 4: Pembrolizumab + MK-4830 was added in Amendment 04 on 20-Dec-2021, and enrollment into that arm has been completed. Arm 5: Favezelimab + Pembrolizumab and Arm 6: Pembrolizumab + all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) were added in Amendment 06 on 25-Jun-2022, and enrollment is ongoing.

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Key information

Age range

18 year–120 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1 / Phase 2

Primary location

Melanoma Institute Australia ( Site 3402), Wollstonecraft, New South Wales, Australia

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Has histologically or cytologically confirmed melanoma
  • Has clinically detectable and resectable Stage IIIB or IIIC or IIID melanoma amenable to surgery
  • Has been untreated for Stage IIIB, IIIC or IIID melanoma
  • surgical resection of primary melanoma is allowed
  • prior radiotherapy to the primary melanoma is allowed
  • Has provided a baseline tumor biopsy
  • Male participants who receive gebasaxturev are abstinent from heterosexual intercourse or agree to use contraception during the intervention period and for at least 120 days after the last dose of gebasaxturev
  • Male participants who receive ATRA are abstinent from heterosexual intercourse or agree to use contraception during the intervention period and for at least 7 days after the last dose of ATRA
  • Female participants are not pregnant or breastfeeding and are either not a woman of child-bearing potential (WOCBP) OR use a contraceptive method that is highly effective or are abstinent from heterosexual intercourse during the intervention period and for at least 120 days after the last dose of pembrolizumab, vibostolimab, gebasaxturev, or MK-4830, favezelimab + pembrolizumab, or 30 days after the last dose of ATRA, whichever occurs last
  • Has adequate organ function
  • Has resolution of toxic effect(s) of the most recent prior therapy to Grade 1 or less (except alopecia)

Exclusion criteria

  • Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days before the first dose of study intervention
  • Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment within the past 2 years
  • Has known central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis
  • Has ocular or mucosal melanoma
  • Has known hypersensitivity including previous clinically significant hypersensitivity reaction to treatment with another monoclonal antibody (mAb)
  • Has an active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years
  • Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy
  • Has known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
  • Has known history of hepatitis B
  • Has a history of (noninfectious) pneumonitis
  • Has a history of active tuberculosis (TB)
  • Has received prior systemic anticancer therapy within 4 weeks prior to randomization
  • Has received prior radiotherapy within 2 weeks of first dose of study intervention
  • Has had major surgery <3 weeks prior to first dose of study intervention
  • Has received a live or live-attenuated vaccine within 30 days before the first dose of study intervention
  • Has participated in a study of an investigational agent within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study intervention
  • Has had an allogeneic tissue/solid organ transplant
  • Has only mucosal lesions
  • Is not naïve to Talimogene laherparepvec (TVEC) and other oncolytic viruses

Treatment and study plan

Pembrolizumab

Biological

Administered via IV infusion at a specified dose on specified days

Other names: MK-3475, KEYTRUDA®

vibostolimab

Biological

Administered via IV infusion at a specified dose on specified days

Other names: MK-7684

Gebasaxturev

Biological

Administered via IT injection at a specified dose on specified days

Other names: Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21), Formerly known as CAVATAK®, CAV21, V937

MK-4830

Biological

Administered via IV infusion at a specified dose on specified days

Favezelimab + Pembrolizumab

Biological

Administered via IV infusion at a specified dose on specified days

Other names: MK-4280A

ATRA

Drug

Administered via oral capsules at a specified dose on specified days

Other names: Tretinoin, Vesanoid®

Primary outcomes

  1. Percentage of participants who experience an adverse event (AE)

    Time frame: Up to ~16 months

    An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study intervention, whether or not considered related to the study intervention. The percentage of participants who experience an AE will be reported.

  2. Percentage of participants who discontinue study treatment due to an AE

    Time frame: Up to ~12 months

    An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study intervention, whether or not considered related to the study intervention. The percentage of participants who discontinue study treatment due to an AE will be reported.

  3. Pathological complete response (pCR) rate

    Time frame: Up to ~1.5 months

    pCR rate is defined as the proportion of participants with complete absence of viable tumor in the treated tumor bed. Assessments are according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) by central review of the pathology results. RECIST 1.1 has been modified for this study to include a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Near pathological complete response (near pCR) rate

    Time frame: Up to ~1.5 months

    Near pCR is defined as the proportion of participants with >0% but ≤10% of viable tumor cells in the treated tumor bed. Assessments are according to RECIST 1.1 by central review of the pathology results. RECIST 1.1 has been modified for this study to include a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ.

  2. Pathological partial response (pPR) rate

    Time frame: Up to ~1.5 months

    pPR rate is defined as the proportion of participants with >10% but ≤50% of the treated tumor bed occupied by viable tumor cells. Assessments are according to RECIST 1.1 by central review of the pathology results. RECIST 1.1 has been modified for this study to include a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ.

  3. Recurrence-free survival (RFS)

    Time frame: Up to ~60 months

    RFS is defined as the time from the date of surgery to (1) any recurrence (local, regional, or distant) as assessed by the investigator or (2) death due to any cause (both cancer and noncancer causes of death). Assessments are according to RECIST 1.1 which has been modified for this study to include a maximum of 10 target lesions and a maximum of 5 target lesions per organ.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

A Phase 1/2 Open-Label Rolling-Arm Umbrella Platform Design of Investigational Agents With or Without Pembrolizumab or Pembrolizumab Alone in Participants With Melanoma (KEYMAKER-U02): Substudy 02C

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Mar 10, 2020
Registry last updated
Oct 27, 2025

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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