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Grade I Neuroendocrine CarcinomaPhase 2NCT03728361

Nivolumab and Temozolomide in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Refractory Small-Cell Lung Cancer or Advanced Neuroendocrine Cancer

A Phase 2 study testing Nivolumab and Temozolomide in people with Grade I Neuroendocrine Carcinoma and Grade II Neuroendocrine Carcinoma, run by Dwight Owen at 2 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This phase II trial studies how well nivolumab and temozolomide work in treating patients with small-cell lung cancer that has come back or does not respond to treatment, or neuroendocrine cancer that has spread to other places in the body. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Nivolumab and Temozolomide
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
55 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
31 Dec 2018to 2 Dec 2025
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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

  • Be willing and able to provide written informed consent/assent for the trial
  • For Cohort 1: Have histologically or cytologically-documented diagnosis of advanced (metastatic and/or unresectable) small cell lung cancer and have progressed or recurred after platinum-based chemotherapy with immunotherapy. Eligible patients will be defined as follows:
  • Sensitive disease: Patients who had one previous line of chemotherapy and relapsed after > 90 days of completion of treatment
  • Refractory disease: Patients with no response to first-line chemotherapy or progression < 90 days after completing treatment.
  • For cohort 1: maximum of 2 prior lines of therapy is allowed (ie second or third line treatment)
  • For Cohort 2: Have histologically or cytologically-documented diagnosis of advanced (metastatic and/or unresectable) neuroendocrine tumor/carcinoma of any grade (World Health Organization [WHO] Grade 1-3) of any origin, in any line of therapy (ie both treatment na?ve and pre-treated patients allowed), and have clinical or biochemical or radiographic progression in the 12 months prior to study registration. Concomitant use of a somatostatin analogue is allowed, as long as patients have been on a stable dose for at least 2 months
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  • Have measurable disease based on Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1.
  • For Cohort 1: Availability of a recent formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor tissue block. A recently obtained archival FFPE tumor tissue block from a primary or metastatic tumor resection or biopsy can be provided if it was obtained within 1 year of trial screening. Patients with tumor specimens older than 1 year may still be eligible if deemed so by study sponsor. For Cohort 2: archival tissue as above is preferred, but not required for trial entry. Verification of tumor burden in the biopsy is encouraged. For optimal biomarker results, tumor content should be > 30% of total tissue area
  • Be willing to provide peripheral blood samples at screening and day 1 of cycles 1, 2 and 3 as well as at progressive disease for correlative studies
  • Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance scale
  • Life expectancy greater than 3 months
  • Ability to swallow and retain oral medication
  • Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,500 /mcL (performed within 28 days of treatment initiation)
  • Platelets >= 100,000 / mcL (performed within 28 days of treatment initiation)
  • Serum creatinine =< 2.0 x upper limit of normal (ULN) OR measured or calculated creatinine clearance (CrCl) (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] can also be used in place of creatinine or CrCl) >= 50 mL/min as estimated by Cockcroft and Gault formula for subject with creatinine levels > 2 X institutional ULN (performed within 28 days of treatment initiation)
  • Creatinine clearance should be calculated per institutional standard
  • Serum total bilirubin =< 1.5 x ULN OR direct bilirubin =< ULN for subjects with total bilirubin levels > 1.5 ULN (performed within 28 days of treatment initiation)
  • Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT]) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 2.5 x ULN OR =< 5 x ULN for subjects with liver metastases (performed within 28 days of treatment initiation)
  • Both values must be in the specified range
  • Albumin >= 2.5 mg/dL (performed within 28 days of treatment initiation)
  • International normalized ratio (INR) or prothrombin time (PT) =< 1.5 x ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or partial thromboplastin time (PTT) is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants (performed within 28 days of treatment initiation)
  • Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) =< 1.5 x ULN unless subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as PT or PTT is within therapeutic range of intended use of anticoagulants (performed within 28 days of treatment initiation)
  • 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 and not donate eggs for the course of the study through 120 days after the last dose of study medication. Subjects should agree to ongoing pregnancy testing during the course of the study and after the end of study therapy. Female subjects of childbearing potential are those who have not been surgically sterilized or have not been free from menses for > 1 year

Who cannot join

  • Is currently participating and receiving study therapy or has participated in a study of an investigational agent and received study therapy or used an investigational device within 4 weeks of the first dose of treatment
  • Has received prior temozolomide therapy
  • Prior immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors (including antibodies to PD-1, PD-L1, is allowed only in Cohort 1 and must have been given in combination with chemotherapy as part of first line treatment. Prior CTLA-4 therapy is excluded in both cohorts.
  • 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 nivolumab or temozolomide or any of their excipients
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  • Has had prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 2 weeks prior to study day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., =< grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to a previously administered agent
  • Note: Subjects with =< grade 2 neuropathy due to chemotherapy are an exception to this criterion and may qualify for the study
  • Note: If subject received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting therapy
  • Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment
  • Has symptomatic central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. Subjects with asymptomatic lesions will be eligible if considered appropriate by the treating physician. Subjects with previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they are stable (without evidence of progression by imaging for at least two weeks prior to the first dose of trial treatment and any neurologic symptoms have returned to baseline), have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases, and are not requiring steroids (or are on a stable or decreasing dose of steroids equivalent to 10 mg prednisone or less) for at least 7 days prior to trial treatment. This exception does not include carcinomatous meningitis which is excluded regardless of clinical stability
  • Has active autoimmune disease, including myasthenic syndrome, which 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 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 within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 5 months after the last dose of trial treatment
  • 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)
  • Any condition which in the Investigator?s opinion deems the participant an unsuitable candidate to receive study drug

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

United States2 sites

  • Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-COHORT 1

    Columbus, Ohio, 43210

  • Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-COHORT 2

    Columbus, Ohio, 43210

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Phase II, Multi-Cohort Trial of Combination Nivolumab and Temozolomide in Recurrent/Refractory Small-Cell Lung Cancer and Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumors

This phase II trial studies how well nivolumab and temozolomide work in treating patients with small-cell lung cancer that has come back or does not respond to treatment, or neuroendocrine cancer that has spread to other places in the body. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving nivolumab and temozolomide may work better in treating patients with small-cell lung cancer and neuroendocrine cancer.

Read the detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

  1. To evaluate the efficacy (using response rate per RECIST v1.1) of nivolumab and temozolomide for the treatment of patients with either small cell lung cancer that have progressed or recurred after prior platinum-based chemotherapy and immunotherapy (cohort 1), or progressive metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma of any grade or primary site in any line of therapy (cohort 2).

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

  1. To evaluate the safety profile and toxicity of combination nivolumab and temozolomide as per Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version (v.) 5.0.

II. To evaluate the progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients treated with combination nivolumab and temozolomide.

III. To evaluate the central nervous system (CNS) PFS of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) treated with nivolumab and temozolomide.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

  1. To determine whether treatment with nivolumab and temozolomide leads to a decrease in immune-suppressive cell populations (ie myeloid-derived suppressor cells [MDSC]) in peripheral blood.

II. To determine whether objective response rate (ORR), PFS, OS vary by tumor O6-methylguanine deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation at baseline.

III. To determine whether baseline tumor mutational burden is predictive of response to therapy in patients with SCLC treated with nivolumab and temozolomide.

IV. To determine whether changes in blood based mutation burden during treatment may predict clinical benefit.

  1. To determine whether a composite immune and tumor cell staining score can be developed with or without PD-L1 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) to predict response in the SCLC cohort.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive nivolumab intravenously (IV) on day 1 of a 28 day cycle. Patients also receive temozolomide orally (PO) on days 1-5. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 30 days, every 8 weeks for 12 months, then every 12 weeks thereafter.

Being tested
Nivolumab, Temozolomide
Medical subject headings
Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine, Small Cell Lung Carcinoma, Lung Neoplasms, Neuroendocrine Tumors

What participants receive

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

  • NivolumabBiological

    Also called BMS-936558, MDX-1106, NIVO, ONO-4538

    Given IV

  • TemozolomideDrug

    Also called CCRG-81045, Imidazo[5,1-d]-1,2,3,5-tetrazine-8-carboxamide, 3, 4-dihydro-3-methyl-4-oxo-, M & B 39831, M and B 39831

    Given PO

Study groups in NCT03728361
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Treatment (nivolumab, temozolomide)ExperimentalPatients receive nivolumab IV on day 1 of a 28 day cycle. Patients also receive temozolomide PO on days 1-5. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Receives: Biological: Nivolumab; Drug: Temozolomide

What is being measured

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

  1. Objective response rate (ORR) as measured by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 criteria

    Response will be defined by a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR), confirmed or unconfirmed. Response will be defined for patients with measurable disease and who receive at least one dose of combination treatment. Exact binomial 95% confidence intervals for the true PR+CR response rate will be calculated.

    Measured: Up to 3 years

Secondary outcomes (4)

  1. Incidence of adverse events graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0

    Attribution to drug, time-of-onset, duration of the event, resolution, and any concomitant medications administered will be recorded. The maximum grade for each type of toxicity will be recorded for each patient, and frequency tables will be reviewed to determine toxicity patterns. In addition, we will review all adverse event data that is graded as 3, 4, or 5 and classified as either ?unrelated? or ?unlikely to be related? to study treatment in the event of an actual relationship developing.

    Measured: Up to 3 years

  2. Progression-free survival (PFS)

    The Kaplan-Meier method will be used.

    Measured: The time from allocation to the first documented disease progression according to RECIST 1.1 or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first, assessed up to 3 years

  3. Central nervous system (CNS) PFS

    CNS PFS will be measured for patients with relapsed vs refractory small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in cohort 1. The Kaplan-Meier method will be used.

    Measured: The time from allocation to the first documented disease progression within the CNS according to RECIST 1.1, assessed up to 3 years

  4. Overall survival (OS) of patients

    The Kaplan-Meier method will be used.

    Measured: Up to 3 years

Timeline

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

  1. First posted2 Nov 2018
  2. Study start31 Dec 2018
  3. Primary completion2 Dec 2025
  4. Study completion2 Dec 2025

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
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
55 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03728361
Sponsor's protocol ID
OSU-18184
Other IDs
NCI-2018-02050
Status last verified
Aug 2026
First submitted
29 Oct 2018
Last updated
18 Aug 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Owen DH, Benner B, Pilcher C, Good L, Savardekar H, Norman R, Ghattas C, Shah M, Konda B, Verschraegen CF, Wesolowski R, Behbehani GK, Carson WE, Otterson GA. Deep and Durable Response to Nivolumab and Temozolomide in Small-Cell Lung Cancer Associated With an Early Decrease in Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells. Clin Lung Cancer. 2021 Jul;22(4):e487-e497. doi: 10.1016/j.cllc.2020.10.018. Epub 2020 Nov 2.

    PubMed 33234490

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Nivolumab and Temozolomide in people with Grade I Neuroendocrine Carcinoma and Grade II Neuroendocrine Carcinoma, run by Dwight Owen at 2 sites 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 19 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites 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?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

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

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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?

Objective response rate (ORR) as measured by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 criteria (time frame: Up to 3 years). 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 NCT03728361, 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 18 Aug 2026.

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Clinical Trial NCT03728361 | AzTrials