CI

At a glance

ClinicalIndex Comparison Record
Phase 3Completed· 882 enrolled
Drug / intervention
Pembrolizumab +4 morebiological
Likely dose
Pembrolizumab 200 mgfrom record
Structured eligibility isn't available for this trial yet — see the full criteria in the Eligibility tab below.

Standardized by ClinicalIndex from the ClinicalTrials.gov record · verify against the source.

Search/NCT02358031
NCT02358031Phase 3Completed

A Phase 3 Clinical Trial of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in First Line Treatment of Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC·interventional·Posted Feb 6, 2015·Updated Jul 18, 2025

In Brief

A Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating Pembrolizumab, Cisplatin, and 3 other interventions for Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer and Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer. Completed, enrolled 882 participants.

Detailed Summary

Participants with recurrent or metastatic (R/M) squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (HNSCC) will be randomly assigned to receive pembrolizumab monotherapy \[pembro mono\], pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy with a platinum-based drug (cisplatin or carboplatin) and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) \[pembro combo\], or cetuximab plus a platinum-based drug (cisplatin or carboplatin) and 5-FU \[control\]. The overall primary study hypotheses are as follows in all participants and in participants with Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) positive expression defined by Combined Positive Score (CPS) ≥1 and CPS ≥20: 1) pembrolizumab monotherapy prolongs progression free survival (PFS) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) assessed by Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR) and prolongs overall survival (OS) compared to standard treatment, and 2) pembrolizumab combination with chemotherapy prolongs PFS per RECIST 1.1 assessed by BICR and prolongs OS compared to standard treatment.

Study Details

Study Typeinterventional
Allocation--
Masking--
Primary Purpose--
Countries--
Collaborators--

Timeline

Phase 3CompletedFinished
201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
First PostedFeb 6, 2015
Enrollment StartMar 19, 2015
Primary CompletionFeb 25, 2019
Study CompletionJul 19, 2023
TodayJul 2, 2026
Enrollment to primary: 3.9 yearsPosted 11.4 years ago

Interventions

Pembrolizumabbiological

Pembrolizumab 200 mg IV on Day 1 of each 3-week cycle for up to 35 cycles (up to \~2 years).

Cisplatindrug

Cisplatin 100 mg/m\^2 IV on Day 1 of each 3-week cycle (6 cycle maximum \[up to \~4 months\]).

Carboplatindrug

Carboplatin at a target AUC 5 IV on Day 1 of each 3-week cycle (6 cycle maximum \[up to \~4 months\]).

5-FUdrug

5-FU 1000 mg/m\^2/day IV continuous from Day 1-4 of each 3-week cycle (6 cycle maximum \[up to \~4 months\]).

Cetuximabbiological

Cetuximab on Day 1 at a dose of 400 mg/m\^2 IV, and then 250 mg/m\^2 IV on Day 1 of each subsequent week until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity