Trial results for a Phase 2 study (NCT03210662) investigating pembrolizumab with external beam radiation therapy for relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-01-13. The study reported an overall response in 5 participants.
Background
The trial investigated pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy, in combination with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma that had relapsed or was refractory to previous treatments. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies like pembrolizumab is designed to help the body's immune system target cancer cells.
Trial design
The study (NCT03210662) was a Phase 2 trial that enrolled 17 participants with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Conditions included Primary Mediastinal (Thymic) Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Recurrent Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Recurrent Mature T- Cell and NK-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Recurrent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and Recurrent T-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The trial evaluated the combination of pembrolizumab and external beam radiation therapy.
Key results
Key results from the trial included several outcome measurements:
- The overall response rate for pembrolizumab with concurrent fractionated external beam radiotherapy was observed in 5 participants.
- The median progression-free survival was 2.7 Months (95% Confidence Interval).
- The median overall survival was 6.2 Months (95% Confidence Interval).
- For overall and complete response rates comparing irradiated versus non-irradiated lesions:
- Among irradiated lesions, responses were noted in 10 participants and 6 participants.
- Among non-irradiated lesions, responses were noted in 3 participants and 13 participants.
What this means
The results from this Phase 2 trial suggest that pembrolizumab combined with external beam radiation therapy may elicit responses in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The observed overall response in 5 participants, along with median progression-free survival of 2.7 months and median overall survival of 6.2 months, provides initial insights into the potential activity of this combination in a challenging patient population. Further research would be needed to fully characterize the efficacy and safety profile.
Source
The information for these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for study NCT03210662, titled "Pembrolizumab and External Beam Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma," were posted on 2026-01-13 on clinicaltrials.gov.