Is checkpoint immunotherapy better with oncolytic viral therapy in patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma?
A new phase 2 study open at the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a division of Providence Cancer Institute in the Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, will evaluate the curative potential of cemiplimab plus RP1 compared to cemiplimab monotherapy in patients with metastatic or locally-advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (LA cSCC).
Cemiplimab (Libtayo) is a PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor approved for patients with metastatic or LA cSCC who are not candidates for surgery and radiation. RP1 is an investigational genetically modified herpes simplex type 1 virus designed to directly destroy tumors and to generate an anti-tumor immune response. The phase 2 study known as CERPASS follows a first-in-human trial of RP1 alone and in combination with checkpoint immunotherapy, which showed anticancer activity in adults with advanced and/or refractory solid tumors. Both studies are ongoing and open to eligible patients of Providence Cancer Institute.
Get the study details here:
More head and neck cancer studies
Providence Cancer Institute currently has 10 other studies open for patients with head and neck cancer. See all oral, head and neck cancer studies.
New research studies are added frequently. Please visit our website to see all studies in all cancer types currently open at Providence Cancer Institute.
To refer patients to any of these studies, call Providence Cancer Institute’s Clinical Research office at 503-215-2614 or submit a referral form.
Providence Head and Neck Cancer Clinic
Providence Head and Neck Cancer Program offers world-class care for patients with benign and malignant tumors of the oral cavity (mouth), tongue, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), nose, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands and thyroid gland, as well as tumors at the skull base. Our medical and surgical oncology teams work collaboratively to start patients on treatment regimens very quickly.
The clinic’s co-directors – medical oncologist Rom Leidner, M.D., and oncologic surgeon R. Bryan Bell, M.D., D.D.S., FACS – are innovative leaders committed to elevating the current standard-of-care for oncology patients by offering advancements such as pre-operative immunotherapy. Their aim is to improve surgical outcomes and reduce the risk of recurrence.
