Testing the Addition of an Anti-cancer Drug, Berzosertib (M6620, VX-970), to the Usual Treatments (Carboplatin and Gemcitabine) and to Pembrolizumab for Patients With Advanced Squamous Cell Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
A Phase IB and Randomized Open-Label Phase II Study of Berzosertib (M6620, VX-970) in Combination With Carboplatin/Gemcitabine/Pembrolizumab in Patients With Chemotherapy-Naïve Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer of Squamous Cell Histology
4 other identifiers
interventional
12
1 country
34
Brief Summary
This phase Ib/II trial studies the best dose of carboplatin when given together with berzosertib, gemcitabine and pembrolizumab and to see how well it works in treating patients with stage IV squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer that has spared to other placed in the body (advanced). Berzosertib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Chemotherapy drugs, such as carboplatin and gemcitabine, 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. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving berzosertib together with carboplatin, gemcitabine, and pembrolizumab may work better in treating patients with squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer compared to carboplatin, gemcitabine, and pembrolizumab alone.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at below P25 for phase_1
Started Apr 2021
Longer than P75 for phase_1
34 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
December 31, 2019
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
January 2, 2020
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
April 14, 2021
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
March 31, 2024
CompletedResults Posted
Study results publicly available
March 24, 2026
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
March 18, 2027
ExpectedApril 13, 2026
March 1, 2026
3 years
December 31, 2019
April 2, 2025
April 9, 2026
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (8)
Patients Who Experienced a DLT
Percentage of patients who experienced Dose Limiting Toxicities (DLTs) when treated with carboplatin in combination with berzosertib (M6620, VX-970), per CTCAE v5.0
Up to completion of cycle 1
Recommended Phase 2 Dose (RP2D)
Determined by the number of patients who experienced Dose Limiting Toxicities (DLTs) when treated with carboplatin in combination with berzosertib (M6620, VX-970), per CTCAE v5.0, DLT is defined as the severe toxicity event that leads to the termination of the treatment. The RP2D is the highest dose level where \<2/6 DLTs are observed.
Up to completion of cycle 1
12-month Progression-free Survival (PFS) - Total Population
Percentage of patients with Progression-free survival (PFS) will be estimated within disease cohorts by the product-limit (Kaplan-Meier) estimator, along with 95% confidence regions, from start of treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST v1.1 Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study (this includes the baseline sum if that is the smallest on study). In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of at least 5 mm. (Note: the appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered progression).
At 12 months
24-month Progression-free Survival (PFS) - Total Population
Percentage of patients with Progression-free survival (PFS) will be estimated within disease cohorts by the product-limit (Kaplan-Meier) estimator, along with 95% confidence regions, from start of treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST v1.1 Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study (this includes the baseline sum if that is the smallest on study). In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of at least 5 mm. (Note: the appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered progression).
At 24 months
Progression-free Survival (PFS) - Total Population
Median PFS will be estimated within disease cohorts by the product-limit (Kaplan-Meier) estimator, along with 95% confidence regions. Measured from start of treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST v1.1 Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study (this includes the baseline sum if that is the smallest on study). In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of at least 5 mm. (Note: the appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered progression).
Up to 30 months
12-month Progression-free Survival (PFS) - By Dose Level
Percentage of patients with Progression-free survival (PFS) will be estimated within disease cohorts by the product-limit (Kaplan-Meier) estimator, along with 95% confidence regions, from start of treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST v1.1 Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study (this includes the baseline sum if that is the smallest on study). In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of at least 5 mm. (Note: the appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered progression).
At 12 months
24-month Progression-free Survival (PFS) - Dose Level 1
Percentage of patients with Progression-free survival (PFS) will be estimated within disease cohorts by the product-limit (Kaplan-Meier) estimator, along with 95% confidence regions, from start of treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST v1.1 Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study (this includes the baseline sum if that is the smallest on study). In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of at least 5 mm. (Note: the appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered progression).
At 24 months
Progression-free Survival (PFS) - By Dose Level
Median PFS will be estimated within disease cohorts by the product-limit (Kaplan-Meier) estimator, along with 95% confidence regions. Measured from start of treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first. Per RECIST v1.1 Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum on study (this includes the baseline sum if that is the smallest on study). In addition to the relative increase of 20%, the sum must also demonstrate an absolute increase of at least 5 mm. (Note: the appearance of one or more new lesions is also considered progression).
Up to 30 months
Secondary Outcomes (10)
Best Overall Response - Total Population
Up to 12 months post treatment
Best Overall Response - By Dose Level
Up to 12 months post treatment
12-month Overall Survival (OS) - Total Population
At 12 months
24-month Overall Survival (OS) - Total Population
At 24 months
Overall Survival (OS) - Total Population
Up to 30 months post treatment
- +5 more secondary outcomes
Other Outcomes (3)
Determination if Features of Whole Exome and Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) Sequencing Are Predictive OR, OS, or PFS
Up to 12 months post treatment
ATM Assay
Up to 12 months post treatment
Inflammation-associated Gene Signatures
Up to 12 months post treatment
Study Arms (2)
Arm A (pembrolizumab, gemcitabine, carboplatin, M6620)
EXPERIMENTALPatients receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1, gemcitabine hydrochloride IV over 30 minutes on days 1 and 8, carboplatin IV over 30 minutes on day 1, and berzosertib IV over 60 minutes on days 2 and 9. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 4 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive pembrolizumab IV over 30 minutes on day 1 and berzosertib IV over 60 minutes on days 2 and 9. Cycles repeat every 21 days for up to 9 months in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients then receive pembrolizumab alone IV over 30 minutes on day 1. Cycles repeat every 6 weeks for up to 1 more year in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo MRI scans and/or CT scans, and undergo blood specimen collection on study.
Arm B (pembrolizumab, gemcitabine, carboplatin)
ACTIVE COMPARATORPatients receive pembrolizumab, gemcitabine, and carboplatin as in Arm A. Patients undergo MRI scans and/or CT scans, and undergo blood specimen collection on study.
Interventions
Correlative studies
Given IV
Given IV
Undergo CT
Given IV
Undergo MRI
Given IV
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Patients must have histologically confirmed NSCLC of predominantly squamous cell histology, stage IV (American Joint Committee on Cancer \[AJCC\] 8th edition)
- Patients must have measurable disease, as defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version (v)1.1
- Patients must have tumor tissue available at time of enrollment, or be willing to undergo a biopsy for integrated biomarker studies
- Patients with a history of prior platinum-based systemic chemotherapy given as neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or consolidation therapy for early stage or loco-regionally advanced NSCLC are eligible, if therapy is completed one year prior to initiation of treatment. Patients must not have had prior systemic chemotherapy or immunotherapy for metastatic disease
- Patients with prior immunotherapy given as neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or consolidation therapy for early stage or loco-regionally advanced disease are eligible, if treatment is completed one year prior to initiation of treatment
- Patients must have Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1 (Karnofsky \> 60%)
- Age \>= 18 years. Because no dosing or adverse event data are currently available on the use of these drug combinations in patients \< 18 years of age, children are excluded from this study, but will be eligible for future pediatric trials
- Leukocytes \>= 3,000/mcL
- Absolute neutrophil count \> lower limit of normal (LLN)
- Platelets \> LLN
- Total bilirubin =\< institutional upper limit of normal (ULN)
- Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 3 x institutional ULN
- Creatinine =\< institutional ULN OR glomerular filtration rate (GFR) \>= 60 mL/min/1.73 m\^2 unless data exists supporting safe use at lower kidney function values, no lower than 30 mL/min/1.73 m\^2
- Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are eligible if they are on effective anti-retroviral therapy with undetectable viral load within 6 months, provided there is no expected drug-drug interaction
- Patients with evidence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are eligible if the HBV viral load is undetectable on suppressive therapy (if indicated), provided there is no expected drug-drug interaction
- +6 more criteria
You may not qualify if:
- Patients with severe intercurrent illness or comorbidity are not eligible
- Patients with contraindications to immunotherapy (e.g., solid organ transplant or active autoimmune disease requiring immunosuppressant therapy within 2 years of enrollment) are not eligible
- Patients with prior systemic chemotherapy for metastatic disease are not eligible
- Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents are not eligible
- Patients with a history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to berzosertib (M6620, VX-970), pembrolizumab, gemcitabine, carboplatin, or other agents used in study are not eligible
- Patients with severe bone marrow depression or significant bleeding are not eligible
- Patients with psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements are not eligible
- Berzosertib (M6620, VX-970) is primarily metabolized by CYP3A4; therefore, concomitant administration with strong inhibitors of CYP3A4 (e.g. clarithromycin, itraconazole, ketoconazole, HCV and HIV protease inhibitors, nefazodone, posaconazole, telithromycin, voriconazole) or strong inducers of CYP3A4 (e.g. carbamazepine, rifampin, phenobarbital, phenytoin, St. John's wort) should be avoided. Because the lists of these agents are constantly changing, it is important to regularly consult a frequently-updated medical reference. As part of the enrollment/informed consent procedures, the patient will be counseled on the risk of interactions with other agents, and what to do if new medications need to be prescribed or if the patient is considering a new over-the-counter medicine or herbal product
- Pregnant women are excluded from this study because the agents in this study may have the potential for teratogenic or abortifacient effects. Because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with the study agents, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with the study agents berzosertib (M6620, VX-970), pembrolizumab, gemcitabine, or carboplatin
- Berzosertib (M6620, VX-970) should be used with caution in patients with clinical evidence of germline defects in their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage repair pathway (for example, patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome or ataxia telangiectasia) due to a possible increase in the toxicity of DNA-damaging agents when paired with berzosertib (M6620, VX-970)
- Patients must not have received or be scheduled to receive radiation therapy within 7 days or less from gemcitabine administration
- Current or prior use of immunosuppressive medication within 28 days before the first dose of pembrolizumab, with the exceptions of intranasal and inhaled corticosteroids or systemic corticosteroids at physiological doses, which are not to exceed 10 mg/day of prednisone, or an equivalent corticosteroid
- Patients must not have received an allogeneic stem cell transplant
- Patients must not have active, uncontrolled infections or recently received active vaccinations
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (34)
Keck Medicine of USC Koreatown
Los Angeles, California, 90020, United States
Los Angeles General Medical Center
Los Angeles, California, 90033, United States
USC / Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Los Angeles, California, 90033, United States
USC Norris Oncology/Hematology-Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California, 92663, United States
UM Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at Aventura
Aventura, Florida, 33180, United States
UM Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at Coral Gables
Coral Gables, Florida, 33146, United States
UM Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach, Florida, 33442, United States
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine-Sylvester Cancer Center
Miami, Florida, 33136, United States
University of Kansas Clinical Research Center
Fairway, Kansas, 66205, United States
HaysMed
Hays, Kansas, 67601, United States
University of Kansas Cancer Center
Kansas City, Kansas, 66160, United States
Lawrence Memorial Hospital
Lawrence, Kansas, 66044, United States
The University of Kansas Cancer Center - Olathe
Olathe, Kansas, 66061, United States
University of Kansas Cancer Center-Overland Park
Overland Park, Kansas, 66210, United States
University of Kansas Hospital-Indian Creek Campus
Overland Park, Kansas, 66211, United States
Mercy Hospital Pittsburg
Pittsburg, Kansas, 66762, United States
Salina Regional Health Center
Salina, Kansas, 67401, United States
University of Kansas Health System Saint Francis Campus
Topeka, Kansas, 66606, United States
University of Kansas Hospital-Westwood Cancer Center
Westwood, Kansas, 66205, United States
Siteman Cancer Center at Saint Peters Hospital
City of Saint Peters, Missouri, 63376, United States
Siteman Cancer Center at West County Hospital
Creve Coeur, Missouri, 63141, United States
University Health Truman Medical Center
Kansas City, Missouri, 64108, United States
University of Kansas Cancer Center - North
Kansas City, Missouri, 64154, United States
University of Kansas Cancer Center - Lee's Summit
Lee's Summit, Missouri, 64064, United States
University of Kansas Cancer Center at North Kansas City Hospital
North Kansas City, Missouri, 64116, United States
Washington University School of Medicine
St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
Siteman Cancer Center-South County
St Louis, Missouri, 63129, United States
Siteman Cancer Center at Christian Hospital
St Louis, Missouri, 63136, United States
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center/Dartmouth Cancer Center
Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03756, United States
NYP/Columbia University Medical Center/Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
New York, New York, 10032, United States
Wake Forest University at Clemmons
Clemmons, North Carolina, 27012, United States
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15232, United States
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States
Related Publications (1)
Villaruz LC, Schluger B, Wang H, Ohr J, Petro D, Fuld AD, Herzberg B, Dawar R, Nieva J, Ruiz J, Christner SM, Holleran JL, Bakkenist CJ, Gore S, Beumer JH. Phase Ib study of berzosertib, carboplatin, gemcitabine, and pembrolizumab in patients with squamous nonsmall lung cancer (ETCTN 10313). Oncologist. 2025 Nov 11;30(11):oyaf373. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyaf373.
PMID: 41206673DERIVED
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Results Point of Contact
- Title
- Barbara Stadterman, MPH, MSCCR, CCRP, Clinical Research Manager
- Organization
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Liza C Villaruz
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute LAO
Publication Agreements
- PI is Sponsor Employee
- No
- Restriction Type
- LTE60
- Restrictive Agreement
- Yes
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- phase 1
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- NIH
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
December 31, 2019
First Posted
January 2, 2020
Study Start
April 14, 2021
Primary Completion
March 31, 2024
Study Completion (Estimated)
March 18, 2027
Last Updated
April 13, 2026
Results First Posted
March 24, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-03
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
NCI is committed to sharing data in accordance with NIH policy. For more details on how clinical trial data is shared, access the link to the NIH data sharing policy page.