Neoadjuvant REGN2810 (Cemiplimab) or REGN2810 (Cemiplimab) Plus REGN3767 (Fianlimab) in Cutaneous Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

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Investigational drug late phase More information Active drug More information Moderate burden on patient More information

Trial Details

Sponsor: Thomas Jefferson University (other)

Phase: 2

Start date: July 5, 2023

Planned enrollment: 70

Trial ID: NCT05929664
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More trial details at ClinicalTrials.gov More info

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Goal: To evaluate whether neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade can shrink locally advanced basal cell carcinoma of the head and neck before surgery and increase the likelihood of functional organ preservation. The study is assessing cemiplimab alone and cemiplimab plus fianlimab in the presurgical setting, with a focus on clinical/radiographic response, disease control, pathologic response, safety, quality of life, and whether surgery can be de-escalated to preserve critical head and neck structures.

Patients: Adults with pathologically confirmed locally advanced basal cell carcinoma of the head and neck for whom standard resection would be unresectable or associated with major morbidity, such as substantial auriculectomy, rhinectomy, lip resection, orbital exenteration, facial nerve sacrifice, or Brigham and Women’s stage 2b or 3 disease. Eligible patients must have ECOG performance status 0–1, adequate organ function, life expectancy of at least 6 months, and no prior anti-PD-1 therapy or hedgehog inhibitor therapy for malignancy treatment. Key exclusions include recent radiation to the target cancer, significant immunosuppression, active infection including active HBV/HCV/HIV as specified, pregnancy or breastfeeding, untreated active brain metastases, recent live vaccine, prior pneumonitis within 5 years, and uncontrolled intercurrent illness.

Design: This is a non-randomized, two-cohort phase 2 neoadjuvant study. Enrollment to the cemiplimab monotherapy cohort occurs first, followed by enrollment to the cemiplimab plus fianlimab cohort. Patients are assessed clinically every 3 weeks before each cycle and radiographically every 6 weeks. Patients receive at least 2 cycles before planned surgery and may receive up to 6 total cycles depending on response. Patients with progression or more than minimal growth may proceed directly to surgery or other standard therapy, while those with complete clinical response undergo surgery or biopsy of the tumor site to confirm pathologic response.

Treatments: Cohort 1 receives cemiplimab 350 mg IV every 3 weeks for a minimum of 2 cycles and up to 6 cycles before surgery, depending on response. Cemiplimab is an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody already used in advanced cutaneous malignancies, including basal cell carcinoma after hedgehog inhibitor therapy, and works by blocking PD-1-mediated T-cell inhibition to enhance antitumor immunity. Cohort 2 receives cemiplimab 350 mg plus fianlimab 1600 mg IV every 3 weeks, either sequentially/co-administered or as a fixed-dose combination infusion, for a minimum of 2 and up to 6 cycles before surgery. Fianlimab is a fully human IgG4 monoclonal antibody targeting LAG-3, an inhibitory immune checkpoint on activated T cells; blockade of LAG-3 is intended to augment T-cell function, particularly in combination with PD-1 inhibition. The most mature clinical data for fianlimab plus cemiplimab are in advanced melanoma, where early-phase studies in anti-PD-1–naïve patients have reported objective response rates around 60%, with a toxicity profile broadly similar to PD-1 blockade but with notable adrenal insufficiency risk.

Outcomes: The primary endpoints are objective response rate and disease control rate, assessed by clinical evaluation and RECIST v1.1 through surgery and up to 6 months postoperatively. Secondary endpoints include surgical/clinical benefit rate, defined by tumor response enabling functional organ preservation surgery; pathologic complete response; major pathologic response; adverse events graded by CTCAE v5.0; and longitudinal quality-of-life and functional outcomes using FHNSI, FACE-Q, and VFQ-25 instruments. Exploratory analyses include paired tumor and blood correlative studies evaluating histology, tumor genetics, and immune microenvironment changes, including immune cell composition before and after therapy.

Burden on patient: The overall patient burden is moderate to moderately high. Treatment requires IV infusions every 3 weeks for at least 2 cycles and potentially up to 6 cycles before surgery, with surgeon assessments at each cycle and CT or MRI imaging approximately every 6 weeks. Patients also undergo screening and on-treatment biopsies, serial blood collection for correlative studies, quality-of-life questionnaires, and definitive surgery or biopsy confirmation in cases of clinical complete response. The burden is higher than routine surgery alone because of repeated neoadjuvant visits, imaging, biopsies, and immunotherapy monitoring, but it is lower than many intensive phase 1 studies because there is no indication of frequent pharmacokinetic sampling or inpatient treatment requirements.

Last updated: May 2026

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Sites (3)

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University of Miami Health System

Miami, Florida, 33136, United States

No email / No phone

Status: Recruiting

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107, United States

[email protected] / 215-955-6760

Status: Recruiting

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States

No email / No phone

Status: Recruiting