Recruiting
Phase 1

Immunotherapy & Radiotherapy

Sponsor:

Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

Code:

NCT06586255

Conditions

Urothelial Carcinoma Bladder

Bladder Cancer

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Concurrent Immunotherapy and Radiation Therapy

Study Details

Brief summary:

The primary objective of this Phase I study is to establish the safety of adjuvant concurrent immunotherapy and radiation therapy for urothelial bladder cancer.

Conditions

Urothelial Carcinoma Bladder

Bladder Cancer

Study ID

NCT06586255

Start date

Apr 29, 2025

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Apr, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Apr, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Pure or mixed variant urothelial carcinoma

o Allowable mixed variant subtypes include:
  • squamous differentiation
  • glandular differentiation
  • nested pattern
  • microcystic
  • micropapillary
  • lymphoepthelioma-like
  • plasmacytoid and lymphoma-like
  • sarcomatoid/carcinosarcoma
  • giant cell
  • trophoblastic differentiation
  • clear cell
  • lipid cell
  • undifferentiated
  • Radical cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection within the prior 48 weeks
  • Pathologic T3 or higher stage disease, any N, M0 (AJCC, 7th Ed., Appendix C)
  • Receiving adjuvant checkpoint inhibitor therapy
  • No clinical evidence of residual or recurrent disease based on the following minimum diagnostic work-up within 3 months of a patient's consent to participate.

  • History and physical examination
  • Chest imaging by x-ray (PA and lateral views), CT scan (with or without IV contrast) or as part of a FDG PET-CT;
  • Axial abdominal and pelvic imaging by MRI (preferably with gadolinium), CT scan (with or without IV contrast) or as part of a FDG PET-CT;
  • Patients with microscopically involved (positive) surgical margins, but no grossly evident residual disease by imaging or physical exam are eligible.
  • The patient is a candidate for definitive external beam radiotherapy;

  • No prior radiotherapy to the region of study;
  • No inflammatory bowel disease, active collagen vascular or connective tissue disorders, and no other medical or social contraindications to radiotherapy, as determined by a participating radiation oncologist;
  • Age greater than or equal to 18 years
  • ECOG performance status: 0-2
  • Concurrent non-investigational medications will be permitted
  • In addition to diagnostic staging scan, patient will be considered eligible only if he/she has a CT simulation scan that does not show any evidence of recurrent disease
  • Informed consent: Patients must have the ability to understand and be willing to sign the study-specific informed consent indicating their understanding of the investigational nature and the risks of this study before any of the protocol related studies are performed (this does not include routine laboratory testing or imaging studies required to establish study eligibility)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Urinary diversion with an orthotopic neobladder
  • History of inflammatory bowel disease
  • Prior partial or complete small bowel obstruction either before or after radical cystectomy
  • Prior radiotherapy to the pelvis;

o Prior radiation therapy for a different cancer or disease process is allowed, provided there will be no overlap of radiation therapy fields between the participant's prior and current course of radiation therapy, radiotherapy was completed more than four weeks from enrolling in this study.
  • Planned concurrent chemotherapy or other investigational drug to be given with radiation treatments

o Prior chemotherapy or investigational drug for bladder cancer or a different cancer is allowed, provided that:
  • The therapy was completed more than two weeks prior to the start of adjuvant pelvic radiation
  • The participant has recovered to Grade ≤1 toxicity from agents previously administered, excluding toxicities that would not be expected to impact eligibility for radiation therapy including but not limited to neuropathy, alopecia and hearing loss.
  • Subtotal surgical resection with clinically evident residual disease by physical exam or axial imaging.
  • Prior or concurrent second invasive malignancy that, in the judgment of the investigator, may affect interpretation of the results.
  • Known severe, active co-morbidity, defined as follows:

o Any clinically significant unrelated systemic illness, medical condition, or other factor, which at the discretion of the Principal Investigators, would interfere in the safe and timely completion of study procedures, compromise the patient's ability to tolerate the protocol therapy, or is likely to interfere with the study procedures or results.
  • Patients who experienced Grade 3+ GI toxicity due to surgery or nivolumab prior to enrollment in the trial

Study Design

Enrollment

10 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Concurrent Immunotherapy and Radiation Therapy

Subjects will receive the standard of care procedures and follow-up for immunotherapy and radiation therapy. The part of this study that is research is receiving both of these treatments at the same time.

Interventions

Concurrent Immunotherapy and Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy will begin between 12 to 18 weeks from the start of adjuvant nivolumab. Patients will receive radiation therapy for about 6 weeks.

Primary outcome measure

  • Safety of concurrent adjuvant immunotherapy and radiation therapy [ Time Frame: Within 18 weeks from start of radiation therapy ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

University of Pennsylvania

Recruiting

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

John Christodouleas, MD

More Information

Sponsor

Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

Last update posted

May 14, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine on 2026-05-14.