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Locally Advanced Bladder Urothelial CarcinomaPhase 2NCT04848519

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors With or Without Propranolol Hydrochloride In Patients With Urothelial Carcinoma

A Phase 2 study testing Pembrolizumab, Propranolol Hydrochloride and Nivolumab in people with Locally Advanced Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma and Locally Advanced Renal Pelvis Urothelial Carcinoma, run by Emory University 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 research study is an open label study designed to evaluate the safety and translational correlative changes of the combination of propranolol hydrochloride and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in subjects with urothelial carcinoma. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Pembrolizumab, Propranolol Hydrochloride and Nivolumab
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
6 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
20 May 2021to 4 Dec 2026
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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

  • Male or Female
  • Age ≥18 years
  • ECOG performance status ≤2 (Karnofsky ≥60%, see Appendix A).
  • Patients must have histologically confirmed urothelial carcinoma planned for treatment with any of the following at the genitourinary oncology clinics of Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute under the list FDA approved indications:
  • Pembrolizumab: first line for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who are not eligible for platinum-based chemotherapy; or second line for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma after progression on platinum-based chemotherapy)
  • Avelumab: maintenance treatment in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma following no progression on first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy
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  • Nivolumab: adjuvant treatment of urothelial carcinoma in high risk of disease recurrence after undergoing radical resection. High risk disease as defined in Checkmate 274: pathological stage of pT3, pT4a, or pN+ and patient not eligible for or declined adjuvant cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy for patients who had not received neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy and pathological stage of ypT2 to ypT4a or ypN+ for patients who received neoadjuvant cisplatin
  • Patients must have adequate organ and marrow function, within 28 days of Cycle 1 Day 1, at the discretion of the investigator.
  • The effects of study drugs on the developing human fetus are unknown. For this reason, female of child-bearing potential (FCBP) must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test prior to starting therapy.
  • FCBP and men treated or enrolled on this protocol 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 3 months after completion of study drug administration. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately.
  • A female of childbearing potential (FCBP) is a sexually mature woman who: 1) has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or 2) has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 24 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 24 consecutive months).
  • Completion of all previous therapy (including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or investigational therapy) for the treatment of cancer ≥ 4 weeks before the start of study therapy.
  • Patients with known history or current symptoms of cardiac disease, or history of treatment with cardiotoxic agents, should have a clinical risk assessment of cardiac function using the New York Heart Association Functional Classification (Appendix B). To be eligible for this trial, patients should be class IIB or better.
  • Patients without existing cardiac disease that raise the risk of complications who consent for the trial will proceed with trial participation.
  • Patients with existing cardiac disease that could raise the risk of complications will be referred at the discretion of the investigator to a cardio-oncologist who is a co-investigator on the trial (or general cardiologist) for cardiac optimization prior to starting propranolol.
  • Life expectancy > 12 weeks as determined by the Investigator.
  • Willingness and ability of the subject to comply with scheduled visits, drug administration plan, protocol-specified laboratory tests, other study procedures, and study restrictions.
  • Evidence of a personally signed informed consent indicating that the subject is aware of the neoplastic nature of the disease and has been informed of the procedures to be followed, the experimental nature of the therapy, alternatives, potential risks and discomforts, potential benefits, and other pertinent aspects of study participation.

Who cannot join

  • An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
  • Patients who have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within 4 weeks prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier (i.e., have residual toxicities > Grade 2).
  • Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents or an investigational device within 21 days before administration of first dose of study drugs.
  • History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to the agents used in study.
  • Contraindication to ICI per investigator discretion.
  • Uncontrolled current illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
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  • Significant cardiovascular disease (e.g., myocardial infarction, arterial thromboembolism, cerebrovascular thromboembolism) within 3 months prior to start of study therapy; angina requiring therapy; symptomatic peripheral vascular disease; New York Heart Association Class 3 or 4 congestive heart failure; or uncontrolled Grade ≥3 hypertension (diastolic blood pressure ≥100 mmHg or systolic blood pressure ≥160 mmHg) despite antihypertensive therapy.
  • Contraindication to a beta blocker: cardiac conditions that significantly raise the risk of cardiopulmonary complications, including unstable angina, uncontrolled heart failure, symptomatic bradycardia, and severe asthma.
  • Current use of an oral or intravenous beta blocker (e.g. atenolol, bisoprolol, carvedilol, labetalol, metoprolol, nadolol, sotalol, among other beta blockers) with inability to safely switch to a non-beta blocker agent. The washout for current users should be at least 14 days with enough transition period.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30322

Other trials in United States

About this study

This research study is an open label study designed to evaluate the safety and translational correlative changes of the combination of propranolol hydrochloride and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in subjects with urothelial carcinoma.

Read the detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

  1. To evaluate the safety of the combination of propranolol hydrochloride and immune checkpoint inhibitors in urothelial cancer as measured by the incidence of adverse events according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

  1. To describe response and survival outcomes for ICI plus or minus propranolol in patients with urothelial cancer as measured by ORR per RECIST 1.1 (only for subjects receiving avelumab and pembrolizumab as ICI), profession free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

TERTIARY/EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVE:

  1. To measure overall response rate (ORR) along with correlative changes in peripheral T-cell subsets, myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), blood inflammatory markers and blood cytokines before and after treatment for patients receiving ICI plus propranolol vs. ICI alone. Available archival tissue will also be collected for tissue-based assays.

OUTLINE:

Patients who meet eligibility criteria and consent for enrollment in the trial will be on one of the two study cohorts. Assignment to cohorts will be sequentially, in a 1:1 fashion, starting with the ICI plus propranolol cohort. The specific ICI that the subject would receive will be dependent on the clinical need and associated FDA approval.

ICI PLUS PROPRANOLOL COHORT:

  1. Propranolol: Participants will remain on propranolol 30mg twice daily for the duration of the trial unless unacceptable toxicity or withdrawal of consent. Patients who develop toxicity and stop propranolol will remain on trial for endpoint measurement.

PLUS

Pembrolizumab: Participants will receive 200mg IV on Day 1, every 3 weeks. Pembrolizumab would be continued for up to 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

OR

Avelumab: Participants will receive Avelumab at a dose of 10 mg per kilogram of body weight, IV on Day 1 every 2 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

OR

Nivolumab: Participants will receive Nivolumab (480mg) IV on every 4 weeks for up to 1 year or until disease recurrence or discontinuation from the trial.

ICI ALONE COHORT:

Pembrolizumab: Participants will receive 200mg IV on Day 1, every 3 weeks. Pembrolizumab would be continued for up to 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

OR

Avelumab: Participants will receive Avelumab at a dose of 10 mg per kilogram of body weight, IV on Day 1 every 2 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity

OR

Nivolumab: Participants will receive Nivolumab (480mg) IV on every 4 weeks for up to 1 year or until disease recurrence or discontinuation from the trial.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 30 days, then every 12 weeks for up to 2 years.

Being tested
Pembrolizumab, Propranolol Hydrochloride, Nivolumab, Avelumab
Medical subject headings
Carcinoma, Transitional Cell, Urinary Bladder Neoplasms, Ureteral Neoplasms, Urethral Neoplasms

What participants receive

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

  • PembrolizumabDrug

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

    Given IV as first line for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who are not eligible for platinum-based chemotherapy; or second line for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma after progression on platinum-based chemotherapy

  • Propranolol HydrochlorideDrug

    Also called Inderal

    Given PO for patients on the ICI plus propranolol arm

  • NivolumabDrug

    Given IV as adjuvant treatment of urothelial carcinoma in high risk of disease recurrence after undergoing radical resection

  • AvelumabDrug

    Given IV as maintenance treatment in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma following no progression on first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy

Study groups in NCT04848519
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Treatment (propranolol hydrochloride, immune checkpoint inhibitor)ExperimentalThe specific ICI that the subject would receive will be dependent on the clinical need and associated FDA approval.
Receives: Drug: Pembrolizumab; Drug: Propranolol Hydrochloride; Drug: Nivolumab; Drug: Avelumab
Treatment (immune checkpoint inhibitor)OtherThe specific ICI that the subject would receive will be dependent on the clinical need and associated FDA approval.
Receives: Drug: Pembrolizumab; Drug: Nivolumab; Drug: Avelumab

What is being measured

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

  1. Incidence of adverse events

    Assessed according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize the toxicity profile of the intervention. Toxicities will be tabulated by grade, association, and cycle number.

    Measured: 2 years

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Progression free survival (PFS)

    Kaplan-Meier methods will be used to estimate median survival time or time-specific survival rate with 95% confidence interval for PFS.

    Measured: 2 years

  2. Overall survival (OS)

    Kaplan-Meier methods will be used to estimate median survival time or time-specific survival rate with 95% confidence interval for OS.

    Measured: 2 years

  3. Objective Response Rate (ORR)

    Defined as the proportion of subjects only receiving avelumab and pembrolizumab as ICI.

    Measured: 2 years

Timeline

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

  1. First posted19 Apr 2021
  2. Study start20 May 2021
  3. Primary completion15 Oct 2025
  4. Study completion4 Dec 2026 (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
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
6 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04848519
Sponsor's protocol ID
STUDY00002186
Other IDs
NCI-2021-00437, WINSHIP5200-20, P30CA138292
Status last verified
Feb 2026
First submitted
14 Apr 2021
Last updated
19 Feb 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Pembrolizumab, Propranolol Hydrochloride and Nivolumab in people with Locally Advanced Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma and Locally Advanced Renal Pelvis Urothelial Carcinoma, run by Emory University 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 18 inclusion and 9 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 19 Feb 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?

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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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?

Incidence of adverse events (time frame: 2 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 19 Feb 2026.

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