Skip to main content

A Study of Avutometinib, Defactinib, and Letrozole in People With Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

  • PhasePhase 2
  • StatusRecruiting
  • Planned enrollment20 people
  • Recruiting US sites8
  • SponsorMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • RegistryNCT06394804

Recruitment re-checked on ClinicalTrials.gov Oct 30, 2026. Public record; not medical advice.

A Study of Avutometinib, Defactinib, and Letrozole in People With Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer: a one-minute explainerNCT063948041 min

Eligibility

Who can join

The film gives the main points. The full list below is copied from the registry; the study team makes the final decision.

  • Age18 Years to no maximum
  • SexFemale
  • Healthy volunteersNo

You may be able to join if

  • Female patients ≥ 18 years of age
  • Histologically-confirmed LGSOC (ovarian, peritoneal) by tissue biopsy read by pathology at study institution. NOTE: Patients with a prior history of serous borderline tumors without prior systemic (cytotoxic or hormonal) treatment but a new diagnosis of low-grade serous ovarian cancer are eligible.
  • Determination that the patient is not a primary surgical candidate by a gynecologic oncologist surgeon; or has undergone an attempted primary debulking with residual RECIST measurable disease.
  • Measurable disease according to RECIST 1.1. Measurable disease is defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension. Each lesion must be ≥10mm when measured by CT or MRI. Lymph nodes must be ≥15mm by short axis when measured by CT or MRI.
  • An Eastern Cooperative Group (ECOG) performance status of ≤1. Patients with an ECOG performance status of 2 are permitted on trial if this is deemed to be secondary to cancer but not to other comorbidities.
  • Patients with treated brain metastases are eligible if follow-up brain imaging after CNS-directed therapy shows no evidence of progression. Patients with asymptomatic brain metastases that do not require intervention are also eligible.
  • HIV-infected patients on effective anti-retroviral therapy with undetectable viral load within 6 months are eligible for this trial.
  • For patients with evidence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the HBV viral load must be undetectable on suppressive therapy, if indicated.
  • Patients with a history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection must have been treated and cured. For patients with HCV infection who are currently on anti-HCV treatment, they are eligible if they have an undetectable HCV viral load.
  • Patients with a prior or concurrent malignancy whose natural history or treatment does not have the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the investigational regimen are eligible for this trial.
  • Female patients with reproductive potential agree to use highly effective method of contraceptive during the trial and for 1 month following the last dose of study intervention, unless surgical menopause is conferred. Women of child-bearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test within 14 days prior to commencement of study treatment. Non-hormonal methods of highly effective contraception include:
  • intrauterine device (IUD)
  • bilateral tubal occlusion
  • vasectomized partner
  • sexual abstinence
  • Patients must have adequate cardiac function with left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 50% by echocardiography (ECHO) or multiple-gated acquisition (MUGA) scan.
  • Baseline QTc interval < 460 ms (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [CTCAE] Grade 1) using Fredericia's QT correction formula. NOTE: This criterion does not apply to patients with a right or left bundle branch block.
  • Adequate organ function, defined by the following parameters:
  • °Adequate hematologic function
  • Hemoglobin [Hb] ≥ 9.0 g/dL. If a red blood cell transfusion has been administered the Hb must remain stable and ≥ 9.0 g/dL for at least 1 week prior to first dose of study intervention.
  • Platelets ≥ 100,000/mm^3
  • Absolute neutrophil count [ANC] ≥ 1000/mm^3
  • °Adequate hepatic function:
  • Total bilirubin ≤1.5 × upper limit of normal [ULN] for the institution; patients with Gilbert syndrome may enroll if total bilirubin is <3.0mg/dL (51 μmole/L) upon discussion with MSK PI.
  • Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 2.5 × ULN (or <5 xULN in patients with liver metastases).
  • Adequate renal function with creatinine clearance rate of ≥50 mL/min as calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault formula or serum creatinine of ≤ 1.5 x ULN.
  • Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) ≤2.5 x ULN.

You cannot join if

  • Patients who are deemed in the opinion of their treating physician to be appropriate candidates for a primary debulking surgery are not eligible for this trial, unless measurable disease remains after a primary cytoreductive surgery.
  • Prior systemic anti-cancer therapy for LGSOC or serous borderline disease.
  • Major surgery within 4 weeks, minor surgery within 2 weeks, or palliative radiotherapy within 1 week of the first dose of study intervention. Open and close laparotomy and/or laparoscopy will be considered minor surgery.
  • Treatment with warfarin. Patients on warfarin for deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism can be converted to low-molecular-weight heparin or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).
  • Patients with the inability to swallow oral medications or impaired gastrointestinal absorption due to gastrectomy or drainage PEG tube. Patients with diagnosis of bowel obstruction <3 months from study enrollment will be excluded unless surgically cured or approved by study PI.
  • Symptomatic brain metastases requiring steroids or other interventions. Patients with new asymptomatic CNS metastases detected during the screening period must receive radiation therapy and/or surgery for CNS metastases. Following treatment, these patients may then be eligible if all other criteria are met.
  • Patients with history of retinal pathology or evidence of visible retinal pathology that is considered a risk factor for RVO, intraocular pressure > 21 mm Hg as measured by tonometry, or other significant ocular pathology, such as anatomical abnormalities that increase the risk for RVO.
  • Patients with a history of corneal erosion (instability of corneal epithelium), corneal degeneration, active or recurrent keratitis, and other forms of serious ocular surface inflammatory conditions.
  • History of rhabdomyolysis.
  • Patients with a history of hypersensitivity to any of the active (Avutometinib, defactinib) or inactive (hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, mannitol, magnesium stearate) ingredients of the investigational product.
  • Female patients who are breastfeeding.
  • Any other medical condition (e.g., cardiac, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, psychiatric, neurological, genetic, etc.) that in the opinion of the Investigator would places the patient at unacceptably high risk for toxicity.
  • Exposure to medications (with or without prescriptions), supplements, herbal remedies, or foods with potential for drug-drug interactions with study interventions within 14 days prior to the first dose of study intervention and during the course of therapy (Appendix 1), including:
  • strong CYP3A4 inhibitors or inducers, due to potential drug-drug interactions with both Avutometinib and defactinib.
  • strong CYP2C9 inhibitors or inducers, due to potential drug-drug interactions with defactinib.
  • P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitors or inducers, due to potential drug-drug interactions with defactinib.

The treatment

How it is intended to work

This is how the treatment is meant to work. Whether it helps, and how safe it is, is what this trial is testing.

avutometinib. An orally bioavailable inhibitor of the serine/threonine protein kinases Raf and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAP2K, MAPK/ERK kinase, or MEK), with potential antineoplastic activity. Upon oral administration, avutometinib specifically targets, binds to and inhibits the kinase activities of Raf and MEK, resulting in the inhibition of Raf/MEK-mediated signal transduction pathways. This results in the inhibition of Raf/MEK-dependent tumor cell proliferation and survival. The RAS/RAF/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway is often dysregulated in human cancers and plays a key role in tumor cell proliferation, differentiation and survival. NCI Drug Dictionary

defactinib. An orally bioavailable, small-molecule focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor with potential antiangiogenic and antineoplastic activities. Defactinib inhibits FAK, which may prevent the integrin-mediated activation of several downstream signal transduction pathways, including those involving RAS/MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt, thus inhibiting tumor cell migration, proliferation, survival, and tumor angiogenesis. The tyrosine kinase FAK, a signal transducer for integrins, is normally activated by binding to integrins in the extracellular matrix (ECM) but may be upregulated and constitutively activated in various tumor cell types. NCI Drug Dictionary

letrozole. A nonsteroidal inhibitor of estrogen synthesis with antineoplastic activity. As a third-generation aromatase inhibitor, letrozole selectively and reversibly inhibits aromatase, which may result in growth inhibition of estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells. Aromatase, a cytochrome P-450 enzyme localized to the endoplasmic reticulum of the cell and found in many tissues including those of the premenopausal ovary, liver, and breast, catalyzes the aromatization of androstenedione and testosterone into estrone and estradiol, the final step in estrogen biosynthesis. NCI Drug Dictionary

Treatments listed in the registry

  • Avutometinib (Drug): Starting Dose 3.2 mg BIW for 3 of 4 weeks, Dose -1, 2.4 mg BIW for 3 of 4 weeks
  • Defactinib (Drug): Starting Dose 200 mg BID for 3 of 4 weeks, Dose -1, 200 mg QD for 3 of 4 weeks
  • Letrozole (Drug): 2.5 mg PO daily

The study

Treatment groups

Na · Single Group · masking: None

Avutometinib, Defactinib, and Letrozole (Experimental)

Enrolled patients will be treated with avutometinib 3.2 mg PO, twice weekly (e.g. M/Th,Tu/F, or W/Sa) + defactinib 200 mg PO BID for 3 weeks, followed by a 1 week rest period, in each 4-week (28 day) cycle. Patients will also be treated with letrozole 2.5 mg PO daily, and pre/perimenopausal patients will also receive leuprolide acetate 3.75 mg IM every 4 weeks or 11.25 mg every 3 months for ovarian suppression while an ovary remains in situ.

Goals

What the study measures

Main goals

  • objective response rate (2 years)

Other goals

  • Occurrence of adverse events

Planned enrollment: 20 (estimated).

Where

Recruiting US sites

  • Emory Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge (Limited Protocol Activities), Basking Ridge, New Jersey
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth (Limited Protocol Activities), Middletown, New Jersey
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen (Limited Protocol Activities), Montvale, New Jersey
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Suffolk -Commack (Limited Protocol Activities), Commack, New York
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester (Limited Protocol Activities), East White Plains, New York
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau (Limited Protocol Activities), Uniondale, New York

Site status as of Oct 30, 2026. Check the live record before contacting a site.

Sources

Where this comes from

Registry record reviewed as fetched Oct 30, 2026, last updated by the sponsor Oct 22, 2026. Public record; not medical advice.

For you, or someone you love

Whether or not this trial is the one, bring AI into your corner.

A complex diagnosis brings new questions every week, in a trial and out of one. Triangle keeps your whole medical file together, reads it with you in plain language, and helps you and your family decide what to ask next.

Start your 7-day free trial

Then $9 a month. Cancel anytime.

  • Every record in one place

    Requested from your hospitals and clinics through the national networks. Add scans, pathology and anything on paper.

  • Read in plain words

    Reports explained as they come in, with lab values you can follow before treatment, during a trial and after.

  • Ready for every appointment

    Ask about your own file, and walk in with questions for your oncologist or the trial team.

  • Your people, in the loop

    Share one profile with the family helping you, and with your doctors.

Members also get a deeper analysis of their records and any sequencing data, including clinical trials that may fit, reviewed by a licensed physician before they receive it.

Already in a trial?

It turns into a project to manage: visits, scans, labs, side effects and paperwork. Triangle keeps it organized in one place for you or for whoever's helping.

Organize my trial

7-day free trial, then $9 a month. Cancel anytime.