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Smoldering Plasma Cell MyelomaEarly Phase 1NCT02603887

Pembrolizumab in Treating Patients With Intermediate or High-Risk Smoldering Multiple Myeloma

A Early Phase 1 study testing Laboratory Biomarker Analysis and Pembrolizumab in people with Smoldering Plasma Cell Myeloma, run by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

This pilot early phase I trial studies pembrolizumab in treating patients with slow growing (smoldering) multiple myeloma with intermediate or high-risk of spreading. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Smoldering Plasma Cell Myeloma
What is being tested?
Laboratory Biomarker Analysis and Pembrolizumab
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
20 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
20 Jul 2016to 31 Dec 2027
Phase
Early Phase 1
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adult patients with intermediate or high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) are eligible; patients need to have clonal bone marrow plasma cells >= 10% and/or monoclonal spike in blood of >= 3 g/dL and/or monoclonal urine component (Bence jones proteinuria) >= 500 mg/24 hours and need to meet subject inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria as per below
  • Patients must have histologically confirmed SMM based on the following criteria:
  • (A) Mayo clinic criteria (patient must have at least 2 risk factors present):
  • 1. Bone marrow core biopsy plasma cell involvement by cluster of differentiation (CD)138 immunohistochemistry >= 10%
  • 2. Monoclonal spike >= 3 g/dL
  • 3. Free light chain ratio in serum < 0.125 or > 8; *2 of 3 risk factors: intermediate risk for progression at a rate of 51% at 5 years, *3 of 3 risk factors: high risk for progression at a rate of 76% at 5 years
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  • OR (B) Programa para el Tratamiento de Hemopatias Malignas (PETHEMA) criteria (patient must have at least 1 risk factor present)
  • 1. >= 95% abnormal plasma cells/total plasma cells in bone marrow compartment
  • 2. Immunoparesis *1 of 2 risk factors: intermediate risk for progression at a rate of 46% at 5 years, *2 of 2 risk factors: high risk for progression at a rate of 72% at 5 years
  • OR (C) Southwestern Oncology Group (SWOG) criteria (patient must have 2 risk factors present or one risk factor if this risk factor is a 70-gene signature (GEP70) score of > 37.2)
  • 1. Monoclonal spike >= 3 g/dL
  • 2. Involved free light chain >= 25 mg/dL
  • 3. GEP70 risk score > 37.2 *>= 2 risk factors: high risk of progression at a rate of 70% at 2 years*; we would also include patients with 1 risk factor as long as this risk factor is GEP70 risk score > 37.2 since patients with this risk factor have an intermediate risk of progression at a rate of 50% at 2 years
  • Creatinine clearance >= 50 ml/min; creatinine clearance (CrCl) will be calculated by Cockcroft-Gault method
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1
  • Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1.0 x 10^9 /L
  • Hemoglobin >= 10 g/dL
  • Platelet count >= 50 x 10^9/L
  • Bilirubin < 1.5 x the upper limit of normal (ULN)
  • Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) < 3.0 x ULN
  • Subjects must be able to give informed consent
  • Female subject of childbearing potential should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy within 72 hours prior to receiving the first dose of study medication; if the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required
  • Female subjects of childbearing potential should be willing to use 2 methods of birth control or be surgically sterile, or abstain from heterosexual activity for the course of the study through 120 days after the last dose of study medication; subjects of childbearing potential are those who have not been surgically sterilized or have not been free from menses for > 1 year
  • Male subjects should agree to use an adequate method of contraception starting with the first dose of study therapy through 120 days after the last dose of study therapy

Who cannot join

  • Evidence of myeloma defining events or biomarkers of malignancy due to underlying plasma cell proliferative disorder meeting at least one of the following
  • 1) Hypercalcemia: serum calcium > 0.25 mmol/L (> 1 mg/dL) higher than the upper limit of normal or > 2.75 mmol/L (> 11 mg/dL)
  • 2) Renal insufficiency: creatinine clearance < 40 ml/min or serum creatinine > 2 mg/dL
  • 3) Anemia: hemoglobin value < 10 g/dL or 2 g/dL < normal reference
  • 4) Bone lesions: one or more osteolytic lesions on skeletal radiography, computerized tomography (CT) or 2-deoxy-2[F-18] fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography CT (PET-CT)
  • 5) Clonal bone marrow plasma cell percentage >= 60%
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  • 6) Involved: uninvolved serum free light chain ratio >= 100 measured by Freelite assay (The Binding Site Group, Birmingham, United Kingdom [UK])
  • 7) > 1 focal lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies (each focal lesion must be 5 mm or more in size), if clinically indicated
  • Prior or concurrent systemic treatment for SMM; a) bisphosphonates are permitted; b) treatment with corticosteroids is not permitted; c) radiotherapy is not permitted; d) prior treatment for smoldering multiple myeloma with chemotherapy agents approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma is not permitted
  • Plasma cell leukemia
  • Pregnant or lactating females; breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with pembrolizumab
  • Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment
  • Has a known history of active TB (bacillus tuberculosis)
  • Hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients
  • Has had a prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., =< grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier
  • Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment; exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer
  • Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years (i.e. with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs); replacement therapy (eg., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment
  • Has a history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or current pneumonitis
  • Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy
  • Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the trial, or is not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator
  • Has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial
  • Is pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment
  • Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-programmed death ligand 2 (PD-L2) agent
  • Has a known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies)
  • Has known active hepatitis B (e.g., hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or hepatitis C (e.g., hepatitis C virus [HCV] ribonucleic acid [RNA] [qualitative] is detected)
  • Has received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy; Note: seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally inactivated flu vaccines and are allowed; however intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., Flu-Mist) are live attenuated vaccines, and are not allowed
  • Evidence of interstitial lung disease

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • M D Anderson Cancer Center

    Houston, Texas, 77030

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Pilot Single Arm, Single Center, Open Label Trial of Pembrolizumab in Patients With Intermediate and High Risk Smoldering Multiple Myeloma

This pilot early phase I trial studies pembrolizumab in treating patients with slow growing (smoldering) multiple myeloma with intermediate or high-risk of spreading. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread.

Read the detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

  1. To determine the overall response rate after 8 cycles of treatment according to the International Myeloma Working Group Criteria (IMWG).

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

  1. To determine time to progression to multiple myeloma (TTP) at 30 months from study entry.

II. To determine overall survival (OS). III. To determine duration of response (DOR). IV. To determine the clinical benefit rate (CBR) after 8 cycles of treatment according to the modified IMWG Criteria for multiple myeloma (MM).

  1. To evaluate safety and tolerability of single agent treatment in this population.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

  1. Rate of minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity at complete remission (CR).

II. Molecular profiling (including whole exome sequencing and gene expression profiling) and cellular (including flow cytometry) profiling at baseline and/or at progression using bone marrow aspirate samples and peripheral blood.

III. Immunophenotypic characterization of dendritic, T-, B-, natural killer (NK)- and natural killer T (NKT)-cells, and inhibitory/activation markers on tumor cells at baseline and at completion of 8 cycles of therapy in bone marrow aspirate samples and/or peripheral blood.

IV. Evaluation of changes in PD-L1 and PD-1 expression at baseline/end of 8 cycles of treatment and correlate with clinical response.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive pembrolizumab intravenously (IV) over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 24 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 6-12 months.

Being tested
Laboratory Biomarker Analysis, Pembrolizumab
Medical subject headings
Smoldering Multiple Myeloma

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Laboratory Biomarker AnalysisOther

    Correlative studies

  • PembrolizumabBiological

    Also called Keytruda, Lambrolizumab, MK-3475, SCH 900475

    Given IV

Study groups in NCT02603887
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Treatment (pembrolizumab)ExperimentalPatients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 24 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Receives: Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis; Biological: Pembrolizumab

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Overall Response Rate (ORR)

    Overall response rate is defined as patients who have achieved partial response or higher as described per IMWG criteria for multiple myeloma after 8 cycles of therapy with pembrolizumab. Will be measured according to International Myeloma Working Group Criteria (IMWG) criteria. Response rate will be estimated accordingly. Each cycle has a duration of 21 days.

    Measured: From cycle 1 to cycle 8, up to 168 days

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Number of Participants That Had Progression to Multiple Myeloma

    Progressive disease assessed by IMWG criteria for multiple myeloma after 8 cycles of therapy with pembrolizumab.

    Measured: At 30 months from study entry

  2. Clinical Benefit Rate

    Minor response or better assessed by IMWG criteria for multiple myeloma after 8 cycles of therapy with pembrolizumab

    Measured: From cycle 1 to cycle 8, up to 168 days

  3. Overall Survival

    Participants in a study or treatment group who are still alive for a certain period of time after they were diagnosed with or started treatment for a disease

    Measured: Time of start of treatment to death from any cause up to 2 years and 6 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted13 Nov 2015 (estimated)
  2. Study start20 Jul 2016
  3. Primary completion30 Dec 2017
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Early Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
20 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02603887
Sponsor's protocol ID
2015-0371
Other IDs
NCI-2015-02135, 2015-0371
Status last verified
Jul 2026
First submitted
11 Nov 2015
Last updated
17 Jul 2026
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Manasanch EE, Han G, Mathur R, Qing Y, Zhang Z, Lee H, Weber DM, Amini B, Berkova Z, Eterovic K, Zhang S, Zhang J, Song X, Mao X, Morgan M, Feng L, Baladandayuthapani V, Futreal A, Wang L, Neelapu SS, Orlowski RZ. A pilot study of pembrolizumab in smoldering myeloma: report of the clinical, immune, and genomic analysis. Blood Adv. 2019 Aug 13;3(15):2400-2408. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2019000300.

    PubMed 31405950

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Early Phase 1 study testing Laboratory Biomarker Analysis and Pembrolizumab in people with Smoldering Plasma Cell Myeloma, run by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 24 inclusion and 27 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Early Phase 1 (sometimes called Phase 0) studies give a very small amount of a treatment to a few people, mainly to see how the body handles it.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 20 Mar 2020). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Overall Response Rate (ORR) (time frame: From cycle 1 to cycle 8, up to 168 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02603887, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Jul 2026.

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