Phase II Study of Cabozantinib and Nivolumab for Advanced Melanoma or Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer Evaluating Treatment Response and Biomarker-Based Patient Grouping

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate the combination of two drugs, cabozantinib and nivolumab, in treating advanced melanoma or squamous cell head and neck cancer that may have spread locally or to distant parts of the body. The study focuses on how these drugs affect tumor growth and the immune systems ability to fight cancer. It also investigates how quickly patients can be grouped based on tumor biomarkers, specifically tumor mutational burden and tumor inflammation signature, to understand differences in treatment responses. Participants receive nivolumab through intravenous infusion on the first day of each 28-day cycle and take cabozantinib orally every day. Treatment cycles continue for up to two years unless the disease progresses or side effects become unacceptable. During the study, patients undergo CT or MRI scans and blood sample collections. Tumor biopsies are taken during screening and may be repeated during follow-up. After treatment ends, participants are monitored every 12 weeks for one year and then every six months for up to three years. Throughout the trial, participants are assessed with imaging scans and blood tests to monitor cancer status and treatment effects. Researchers measure the time to receive biomarker results and evaluate tumor response rates. They also track safety, disease control, progression-free survival, and overall survival over the two years of treatment. Specimens are banked for future research. Participants remain under observation for several years after treatment to gather long-term data on outcomes and safety.

BiCaZO: A Study Combining Two Immunotherapies (Cabozantinib and Nivolumab) to Treat Patients With Advanced Melanoma or Squamous Cell Head and Neck Cancer, an immunoMATCH Pilot Study