Exploratory Study With Parallel Controls on the Safety and Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Low Branched-Chain Amino Acid Diet in Combination With Anti-PD-1 Monoclonal Antibody for Stage III Melanoma
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Single-Center, Exploratory Study With Parallel Controls on the Safety and Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Low Branched-Chain Amino Acid Diet in Combination With Anti-PD-1 Monoclonal Antibody for Stage III Melanoma
1 other identifier
interventional
80
1 country
1
Brief Summary
- 1.Primary Objective:
- 2.Secondary Objectives:
- 3.Exploratory Objectives:
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable
Started Jul 2024
Typical duration for not_applicable
1 active site
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
Study Start
First participant enrolled
July 1, 2024
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
November 18, 2025
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
May 14, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
December 1, 2026
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
June 1, 2027
May 14, 2026
October 1, 2025
2.4 years
November 18, 2025
May 7, 2026
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (19)
Systolic blood pressure
Systolic blood pressure
through study completion, an average of 3 months
respiratory rate
respiratory rate
through study completion, an average of 3 months
body temperature
body temperature
through study completion, an average of 3 months
heart rate
heart rate
through study completion, an average of 3 months
Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)
LVEF assessed by echocardiography.
Baseline and every 8 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Hemoglobin concentration
Hemoglobin concentration assessed by complete blood count
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
White blood cell count
White blood cell count assessed by complete blood count
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Platelet count
Platelet count assessed by complete blood count
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level
ALT level measured from clinical biochemistry panel
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level
AST level measured from clinical biochemistry panel
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Creatinine level
Creatinine level measured from clinical biochemistry panel
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Blood glucose level
Blood glucose level measured from clinical biochemistry panel (fasting or as specified in protocol)
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level
LDH level measured from clinical biochemistry panel
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Triiodothyronine (T3) level
T3 level measured from blood sample.
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level
TSH level measured from blood sample.
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD)
LVEDD assessed by echocardiography
Baseline and every 8 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Cardiac output
Cardiac output estimated by echocardiography
Baseline and every 8 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
PR interval
PR interval assessed by 12-lead electrocardiography
Baseline and every 8 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
QRS duration
QRS duration assessed by 12-lead electrocardiography
Baseline and every 8 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Secondary Outcomes (2)
Lymph node target lesion short-axis diameter
Baseline and every 3 weeks through study completion (up to 3 months)
Percentage of residual viable tumor cells in lymph nodes
Perioperative (after 3 months of treatment)
Study Arms (2)
Control Group
NO INTERVENTIONStandard diet,anti-PD-1 and other essential drugs
Experimental Group
EXPERIMENTALLow BCAA diet, anti-PD-1 and other essential drugs
Interventions
The experimental group receives a low branched-chain amino acid diet
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Patients with histopathologically or cytologically confirmed Stage III malignant melanoma. Stage III is defined as the presence of at least one clinically accessible lymph node metastasis or in-transit metastasis. Patients with mucosal or ocular melanoma are excluded; those with melanoma of unknown primary are also excluded.
- No prior radiotherapy or systemic chemotherapy. No treatment with anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2 monoclonal antibodies, anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody, interferon (IFN), or targeted agents within the last month.
- Life expectancy ≥ 6 months.
- At least one measurable lesion as defined by RECIST version 1.1.
- Patients must have provided written informed consent to participate voluntarily in this trial and must be between 18 and 75 years of age on the day of signing the consent form.
- ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status score of 0 or 1.
- Adequate organ function as assessed by the following laboratory values (within 4 weeks prior to the start of study drug treatment):
- Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L
- Platelets ≥ 100 × 10⁹/L
- Hemoglobin ≥ 90 g/L (no transfusion within 14 days prior to enrollment)
- Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN)
- Serum total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × ULN
- AST (SGOT) and ALT (SGPT) ≤ 2.5 × ULN or ≤ 5 × ULN (for patients with liver metastases)
- Prothrombin time (PT)/International Normalized Ratio (INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) ≤ 1.5 × ULN (unless the patient is on anticoagulant therapy, in which case PT or aPTT must be within the therapeutic range intended for the anticoagulant).
- For women of childbearing potential, a negative urine or serum pregnancy test within 7 days prior to receiving the first dose of the study drug.
- +1 more criteria
You may not qualify if:
- The patient is currently participating, or has participated in a clinical trial of an investigational drug or medical device within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of the study drug.
- The patient has received any anti-tumor therapy within the past month, including but not limited to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy (such as anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-CTLA-4 antibodies, or any other antibody targeting T-cell co-regulatory pathways), etc.
- The patient has received systemic corticosteroid therapy (\>10 mg/kg prednisone or equivalent) within two weeks prior to the first dose, or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy.
- The patient has a known history of hematologic malignancies, primary brain tumors, sarcoma, or other primary solid tumors, unless the patient has been cured and has had no evidence of recurrence for 5 years. Exceptions include cured basal cell carcinoma of the skin and carcinoma in situ of the cervix.
- The patient has known central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis.
- The patient has a history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to another monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy.
- The patient has an active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years (e.g., with corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs). Replacement therapies (such as thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency) are not considered systemic treatments and are allowed. Exceptions include patients with vitiligo, type I diabetes mellitus, or childhood asthma/atopy.
- Any other severe, uncontrolled co-morbid condition that may compromise protocol compliance or interfere with the interpretation of results, including metabolic diseases, active opportunistic or advanced (severe) infections, cardiovascular disease (e.g., Class III or IV heart failure as defined by the New York Heart Association classification, second-degree or greater heart block, myocardial infarction within the past 6 months, unstable arrhythmias or unstable angina, cerebral infarction within 3 months), or pulmonary disease (interstitial lung disease, obstructive pulmonary disease, history of symptomatic bronchospasm). Also included are HIV positivity; HCV positivity; HBsAg or HBcAb positivity with detectable HBV DNA (quantitation limit: 500 IU/mL); or a known history of tuberculosis.
- The patient has received a live vaccine within 4 weeks prior to the first dose. The patient has received hematopoietic growth factors (e.g., colony-stimulating factors, erythropoietin) within 2 weeks prior to treatment initiation. The patient has undergone major surgical procedures (excluding diagnostic surgery) within 2 weeks prior to treatment initiation.
- The patient has a known psychiatric or substance abuse disorder that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial.
- The patient is pregnant or breastfeeding, or plans to conceive or father children during the study period.
- Any other severe, acute, or chronic medical or psychiatric condition, or laboratory abnormality that, in the investigator's judgment, may increase the risk associated with study participation or may interfere with the interpretation of study results.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Xijing Hospitallead
Study Sites (1)
Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University
Xi'an, China
Related Publications (15)
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PMID: 21639810RESULTBiswas D, Duffley L, Pulinilkunnil T. Role of branched-chain amino acid-catabolizing enzymes in intertissue signaling, metabolic remodeling, and energy homeostasis. FASEB J. 2019 Aug;33(8):8711-8731. doi: 10.1096/fj.201802842RR. Epub 2019 May 14.
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PMID: 27406679RESULTLi JT, Li KY, Su Y, Shen Y, Lei MZ, Zhang F, Yin M, Chen ZJ, Wen WY, Hu WG, Su D, Qu J, Lei QY. Diet high in branched-chain amino acid promotes PDAC development by USP1-mediated BCAT2 stabilization. Natl Sci Rev. 2021 Nov 26;9(5):nwab212. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwab212. eCollection 2022 May.
PMID: 35663242RESULTWang Z, Lu Z, Lin S, Xia J, Zhong Z, Xie Z, Xing Y, Qie J, Jiao M, Li Y, Wen H, Zhao P, Zhang D, Zhou P, Qian J, Luo F, Wang L, Yu H, Liu J, Gu J, Liu R, Chu Y. Leucine-tRNA-synthase-2-expressing B cells contribute to colorectal cancer immunoevasion. Immunity. 2022 Jun 14;55(6):1067-1081.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2022.04.017. Epub 2022 Jun 3.
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PMID: 4081922RESULT
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- DOUBLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
November 18, 2025
First Posted
May 14, 2026
Study Start
July 1, 2024
Primary Completion (Estimated)
December 1, 2026
Study Completion (Estimated)
June 1, 2027
Last Updated
May 14, 2026
Record last verified: 2025-10
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share