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Head and Neck CancerPhase 2NCT03993353

Tadalafil and Pembrolizumab in Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer

A Phase 2 study testing Pembrolizumab and Tadalafil in people with Head and Neck Cancer and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, run by University of California, San Diego at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study will examine the combination of pembrolizumab and tadalafil for safety and efficacy in advanced head and neck cancer. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Pembrolizumab and Tadalafil
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
7 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
7 Apr 2020to 9 Jan 2024
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Selected Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients (at least 18 years of age) must have recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
  • Presence of measurable disease.
  • Life expectancy of greater than 12 weeks
  • Patients must have normal organ and marrow function

Selected Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior therapy with an PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor in the recurrent or metastatic setting
  • Uncontrolled central nervous system metastases (stable metastases permitted)
  • Active autoimmune disease
  • Chemotherapy ≤28 days prior to first administration of study treatment and/or monoclonal antibody ≤8 weeks prior to first administration of study treatment.
  • Prior daily use of tadalafil or other long-acting PDE5 inhibitors for one month or greater within 3 months of trial enrollment
  • Current use of all other long-acting PDE5 inhibitors.
  • Known severe hypersensitivity to tadalafil or any of the excipients of this product
  • Current treatment with nitrates
  • Current systemic treatment with a potent cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inhibitor such as ketoconazole or ritonavir.
  • Current treatment with guanylate cyclase (GC) stimulators such as riociguat.
  • History of hypotension and/or blindness and/or sensorineural hearing loss during prior treatment with tadalafil or other PDE-5 inhibitors
  • History of known hereditary degenerative retinal disorders, including retinitis pigmentosa
  • Prior history of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding; a negative pregnancy test is required within 14 days of randomization for all women of childbearing potential.
  • History of stroke within prior 6 months.
  • History of acute myocardial infarction within prior 3 months, uncontrolled angina, uncontrolled arrhythmia, or uncontrolled congestive heart failure
  • Left ventricular outflow obstructions, such as aortic stenosis and idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis
  • Angina requiring treatment with long-acting nitrates
  • Angina requiring treatment with short-acting nitrates within 90 days of planned tadalafil administration
  • Unstable angina within 90 days of visit 1 (Braunwald 1989)
  • Positive cardiac stress test without documented evidence of subsequent, effective cardiac intervention
  • History of any of the following coronary conditions within 90 days of planned tadalafil administration:
  • Myocardial Infarction
  • Coronary artery bypass graft surgery
  • Percutaneous coronary intervention (for example, angioplasty or stent placement)
  • Any evidence of heart disease (NYHA ≥ Class II as defined in Protocol Attachment LVHG.3) within 6 months of planned tadalafil administration
  • Concurrent systemic immunosuppressant therapy (e.g., cyclosporine A, tacrolimus, etc., or chronic administration of >10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent)
  • Prior organ transplantation
  • Known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or active infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV).

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • UCSD Moores Cancer Center

    La Jolla, California, 92093

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Phase II Study of Tadalafil and Pembrolizumab in Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This study will examine the combination of pembrolizumab and tadalafil for safety and efficacy in advanced head and neck cancer.

Read the detailed description

Immune competent animal models of HNSCC demonstrate that combination PDE-5 inhibitor (tadalafil) and PD-1 inhibitor therapy is more effective than either therapy alone based on the concept of targeting multiple immune repressive abnormalities simultaneously (PD-1 checkpoint and myeloid suppressive pathways).

This trial will test the hypothesis that combination PD-1 inhibition and PDE-5 inhibition can be safely co-administered, and secondarily test the hypothesis that the combination of both therapies will be more effective than PD-1 inhibition alone in recurrent/metastatic HNSCC.

Being tested
Pembrolizumab, Tadalafil
Keywords
cancer, pembrolizumab, tadalafil, cialis, opdivo, immunotherapy, metastatic, carcinoma, pd-1, pde
Medical subject headings
Head and Neck Neoplasms, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck, Neoplasms, Esophageal Neoplasms, Neoplasm Metastasis, Mouth Neoplasms, Carcinoma, Parkinson Disease 4, Autosomal Dominant Lewy Body

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • PembrolizumabDrug

    Also called Keytruda

    200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks

  • TadalafilDrug

    Also called Cialis

    10 mg by mouth daily

Study groups in NCT03993353
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Tadalafil and PembrolizumabExperimentalTadalafil for up to 12 months and pembrolizumab for up to 24 months.
Receives: Drug: Pembrolizumab; Drug: Tadalafil

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Rate of Dose Limiting Toxicity (DLT)

    Rate of dose limiting toxicity at least possibly attributable to study treatment

    Measured: 2 years

  2. Overall Survival (OS)

    Overall survival at 12 months post-enrollment

    Measured: 12 months

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Response Measured by RECIST 1.1

    Response measured by RECIST 1.1

    Measured: 12 months

  2. Progression Free Survival

    Progression free survival

    Measured: 2 years

  3. Adverse Event Rates

    Adverse event rates

    Measured: 2 years

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted20 Jun 2019
  2. Study start7 Apr 2020
  3. Primary completion16 Apr 2022
  4. Study completion9 Jan 2024

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
7 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03993353
Sponsor's protocol ID
190098
Status last verified
Jan 2026
First submitted
18 Jun 2019
Last updated
12 Feb 2026
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Pembrolizumab and Tadalafil in people with Head and Neck Cancer and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, run by University of California, San Diego at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 12 Feb 2026). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Rate of Dose Limiting Toxicity (DLT) (time frame: 2 years). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Feb 2026.

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