Inclusion Criteria:
1. Be willing and able to provide written informed consent/assent for the trial.
2. Histologically confirmed metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, via archived or fresh core biopsy of either primary tumor or metastatic site.
3. Available tumor tissue (formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded \[FFPE\] block preferred) with enough tumor to make a minimum of 5-10 unstained, consecutive FFPE slides (10 slides are preferred) of 1 archival block that meets specific tissue sample requirements. Archived or fresh tissue from the primary lesion or a metastatic lesion is required. Note: Fine needle aspirates or brushing biopsies will not be acceptable. This tumor tissue requirement is for the determination of the HA-high or -low expression status.
4. Subjects must be determined to be HA-high based on archival or fresh tumor biopsy that meets the requirements noted in the previous inclusion criterion.
5. 18 years of age on day of signing informed consent.
6. Have measurable metastatic disease based on RECIST 1.1.
7. Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks.
8. Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the ECOG Performance Scale.
9. Received no more than 2 prior lines of systemic therapy for metastatic disease (1 or 2 prior lines of therapy for metastatic disease are allowed)
10. Be willing to provide tumor tissue from newly obtained tumor cores or excisional biopsy for research purposes. Newly-obtained is defined as a specimen obtained within 2 weeks (14 days) prior to initiation of treatment on Day 1.
11. Be willing to provide tumor tissue from tumor biopsy after 6 weeks of treatment (mandatory, if safe and feasible), and at the time of tumor progression (optional, if safe and feasible). Note: Fine needle aspirates or brushing biopsies will not be acceptable.
12. Demonstrate adequate organ function, all screening labs should be performed within 14 days of treatment initiation.
13. Female subjects of childbearing potential should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy within 72 hours prior to receiving the first dose of study medication. If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required.
14. Female subjects of childbearing potential must be willing to use an adequate method of contraception for the course of the study through 120 days after the last dose of study medication.
Note: Abstinence is acceptable if this is the usual lifestyle and preferred contraception for the subject.
15. Male subjects of childbearing potential must agree to use an adequate method of contraception starting with the first dose of study therapy through 120 days after the last dose of study therapy.
Note: Abstinence is acceptable if this is the usual lifestyle and preferred contraception for the subject.
16. No history of acute DVT/PE or CVA/TIA (new within 4 weeks of study registration) or clinical significant carotid artery disease.
17. If prior history of DVT/PE the patient needs to be on stable doses of anticoagulation with low molecular weight heparins.
- Patients should have all eligibility criteria met, before undergoing the baseline research biopsy.
Exclusion Criteria:
1. Is currently participating and receiving study therapy or has participated in a study of an investigational agent and received study therapy or used an investigational device within 2 weeks of the first dose of treatment.
2. Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy (equivalent of > 20 mg of hydrocortisone per day) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment.
3. Has a known history of active tuberculosis (TB).
4. Hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients.
5. Known allergy to PEGPH20 (hyaluronidase).
6. Current use of megestrol acetate (use within 10 days of Day 1).
7. Contraindication to heparin as per institutional guidelines.
8. Has had a prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study Day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 2 weeks earlier.
9. Has had prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 2 weeks prior to study Day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to a previously administered agent.
- Note: Subjects with ≤ Grade 2 neuropathy are an exception to this criterion and may qualify for the study.
- Note: If subject received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting therapy.
10. Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment. Exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer.
11. Has known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. Subjects with previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they are stable (without evidence of progression by imaging for at least four weeks prior to the first dose of trial treatment and any neurologic symptoms have returned to baseline), have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases, and are not using steroids for at least 7 days prior to trial treatment. This exception does not include carcinomatous meningitis which is excluded regardless of clinical stability.
12. Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years (i.e. with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs), or documented history of clinically severe autoimmune disease (e.g., colitis, Crohns' disease)\*. Replacement therapy (eg, thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment.
\*Any relevant diseases that are not listed as examples of exclusionary diseases are to be discussed with the Sponsor-Investigator.
13. Has known history of, or any evidence of active, non-infectious pneumonitis.
14. Has a history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or has current pneumonitis.
15. Has known hepatobiliary diseases (e.g., primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, immune mediated cholangitis); patients with cholangitis attributed to infectious etiology (e.g., ascending cholangitis, bacterial cholangitis) are eligible if the infection has been fully recovered prior to the screening visit.
16. Has known history of drug-induced hepatobiliary toxicities
17. Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy.
18. Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the trial, or is not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator.
19. Has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial.
20. Is pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment.
21. Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agent, or any other immune checkpoint inhibitors.
22. Has received prior therapy with PEGPH20, or has participated in the Halozyme HALO 301 phase III study.
23. Has a known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (HIV 1/2 antibodies).
24. Has known active Hepatitis B (e.g., HBsAg reactive) or Hepatitis C (e.g., HCV RNA \[qualitative\] is detected).
25. Has received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy. Note: Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally inactivated flu vaccines and are allowed; however intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., Flu-Mist®) are live attenuated vaccines, and are not allowed.