Neoadjuvant-Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Resectable Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma of H&N
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2022-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate anti-PD-1 Neoadjuvant therapy in Basal cell
carcinoma to provide a better outcome when administered prior to surgery and provide a
therapeutic strategy to avoid surgery altogether. The study team will gather information
about how Basal cell carcinoma responds to Pembrolizumab prior to surgery and to gather
information about recurrence rates.
Pembrolizumab, is an investigational (experimental) drug that may improve the response of the
immune system against cancer. Pembrolizumab is a manufactured antibody, much like the
antibodies usually made by the human body to fight off infection. The idea behind developing
this experimental drug is to stimulate the body's immune system to kill cancer cells.
Pembrolizumab antibody has been specifically made to block a program cell death-1 (PD-1)
protein receptor, which is found on cells of the immune system. PD-1 receptor seems to slow
down the immune response. Blocking PD-1 with pembrolizumab antibody may make the immune
response more active and may improve the response of the immune system against cancer.
Pembrolizumab is currently FDA approved for use in other malignancies. It has been used to
treat a number of other diseases such as certain types of lung cancer, cervical cancer and
lymphoma. The use of Pembrolizumab in this study is experimental because it is not approved
by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of Basal cell carcinoma.