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Immunotherapy Using Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes for Patients With Metastatic Cancer

  • PhasePhase 2
  • StatusRecruiting
  • Planned enrollment332 people
  • Recruiting US sites1
  • SponsorNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • RegistryNCT01174121

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

Immunotherapy Using Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes for Patients With Metastatic Cancer: a one-minute explainerNCT011741211 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 72 Years
  • SexAll
  • Healthy volunteersNo

You may be able to join if

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:
  • Measurable (per RECIST v1.0 criteria), metastatic cancer of one of the following types: upper or lower gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, genitourinary, breast, ovarian/endometrial, or endocrine tumors including neuroendocrine tumors. Patients must have at least one lesion that is resectable for TIL generation with minimal morbidity, preferentially using minimal invasive laparoscopic or thoracoscopic surgery for removal of superficial tumor deposit.
  • Confirmation of diagnosis of metastatic cancer by the NCI Laboratory of Pathology.
  • Refractory to approved standard systemic therapy. Specifically:
  • Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer must have received oxaliplatin or irinotecan.
  • Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma must have received sorafenib (Nexavar(R)), since level 1 data support a survival benefit with this agent.
  • Patients with breast and ovarian cancer must be refractory to both first- and second-line treatments and must have received at least one second-line chemotherapy regimen.
  • Patients with 3 or fewer brain metastases that are < 1 cm in diameter and asymptomatic are eligible. Lesions that have been treated with stereotactic radiosurgery must be clinically stable for one month after treatment for the patient to be eligible. Patients with surgically resected brain metastases are eligible.
  • Age greater than or equal to 18 years and less than or equal to 72 years.
  • Clinical performance status of ECOG 0 or 1.
  • Patients of both sexes must be willing to practice birth control from the time of enrollment on this study and 12 months after the last dose of combined chemotherapy for individuals of child-bearing potential (IOCBP) and for four months after treatment for individuals that can father children.
  • IOCBP must have a negative pregnancy test be a pregnancy test prior to the start of treatment because of the potentially dangerous effects of the treatment on the fetus.
  • Serology
  • Seronegative for HIV antibody. (The experimental treatment being evaluated in this protocol depends on an intact immune system. Patients who are HIV seropositive may have decreased immune-competence and thus may be less responsive to the experimental treatment and more susceptible to its toxicities.)
  • Seronegative for hepatitis B antigen, and seronegative for hepatitis C antibody. If hepatitis C antibody test is positive, then the patient must be tested for the presence of antigen by RT-PCR and be HCV RNA negative.
  • Hematology
  • ANC > 1000/mm^3 without the support of filgrastim
  • WBC greater than or equal to 2500/mm^3
  • Platelet count greater than or equal to 80,000/mm^3
  • Hemoglobin > 8.0 g/dL. Subjects may be transfused to reach this cut-off.
  • Chemistry
  • Serum ALT/AST less than or equal to 5.0 x ULN
  • Serum creatinine less than or equal to 1.5 x ULN
  • Total bilirubin less than or equal to 2.0 mg/dL, except in patients with Gilbert s Syndrome, who must have a total bilirubin < 3.0 mg/dL.
  • Patients must have completed any prior systemic therapy at the time of enrollment.
  • Note: Patients may have undergone minor surgical procedures or limited field radiotherapy within the four weeks prior to enrollment, as long as related major organ toxicities have recovered to less than or equal to grade 1.
  • Ability of subject to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.
  • Willing to sign a durable power of attorney.
  • Subjects must be co-enrolled on protocol 03-C-0277.

You cannot join if

  • Participants who are pregnant or nursing because of the potentially dangerous effects of the treatment on the fetus or infant.
  • Concurrent systemic steroid therapy.
  • Active systemic infections requiring anti-infective treatment, coagulation disorders, or any other active or uncompensated major medical illnesses.
  • Advanced primary with impeding occlusion, perforation or bleeding, dependent on transfusion.
  • Any form of primary immunodeficiency (such as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease and AIDS).
  • History of major organ autoimmune disease.
  • Grade 3 or 4 major organ irAEs clinically attributed to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy.
  • Concurrent opportunistic infections (The experimental treatment being evaluated in this protocol depends on an intact immune system. Patients who have decreased immunecompetence may be less responsive to the experimental treatment and more susceptible to its toxicities.)
  • History of severe immediate hypersensitivity reaction to cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, or aldesleukin.
  • History of coronary revascularization or ischemic symptoms.
  • For select patients with a clinical history prompting cardiac evaluation: last known LVEF less than or equal to 45%.
  • Documented Child-Pugh score of B or C for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with known underlying liver dysfunction.
  • For select patients with a clinical history prompting pulmonary evaluation: known FEV1 less than or equal to 50%.
  • Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents.

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.

Treatments listed in the registry

  • Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) (Drug): Arm 3 or 5: Pembrolizumab 2mg/kg IV over approximately 30 minutes on Days -2, 21, 42, and 63 Arm 4: Pembrolizumab 2mg/kg IV over approximately 30 minutes (for patients who meet progressive disease per RECIST criteria and have resolved major toxicities after cell infusion or anytime during the post-treatment evaluation period; starting within 4 weeks of progression; may receive up to 8 doses every 3 weeks).
  • Fludarabine (Drug): Days -7 to -3: Fludarabine 25 mg/m2/day IVPB daily over 30 minutes for 5 days.
  • Cyclophosphamide (Drug): Days -7 and -6: Cyclophosphamide 60 mg/kg/day X 2 days IV in 250 ml D5W with Mesna 15 mg/kg/day X2 days over 1 hr.
  • Aldesleukin (Drug): Aldesleukin 720,000 IU/kg IV (based on total body weight) over 15 minutes every eight hours (+/- 1 hour) beginning within 24 hours of cell infusion and continuing for up to 4 days (maximum 12 doses.)
  • Young TIL (Biological): Day 0: Cells will be infused intravenously (IV) on the Patient Care Unit over 20-30 minutes (one to four days after the last dose of fludarabine).

The study

Treatment groups

Non Randomized · Parallel · masking: None

1/CD8+ Enriched TIL (CLOSED) (Experimental)

Non-myeloablative, lymphodepleting preparative regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine + young CD8+ enriched TIL + high-dose aldesleukin (CLOSED)

2/Unselected TIL (CLOSED) (Experimental)

Non-myeloablative, lymphodepleting preparative regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine + young unselected TIL + high-dose aldesleukin (CLOSED)

3/Unselected TIL + Pembro Prior to Cells (Experimental)

Non-myeloablative, lymphodepleting preparative regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine + young unselected TIL + high-dose aldesleukin + pembrolizumab prior to cell administration and 3 additional doses every 3 weeks following cell infusion

4/Unselected TIL + Pembro at POD (Experimental)

Non-myeloablative, lymphodepleting preparative regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine + young unselected TIL + high-dose aldesleukin + pembrolizumab within 4 weeks of progressive disease for up to 8 doses every 3 weeks

5/Unselected TIL + Pembro Prior to Cells (Experimental)

Non-myeloablative, lymphodepleting preparative regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine + young unselected TIL + high-dose aldesleukin + pembrolizumab prior to cell administration and 3 additional doses every 3 weeks following cell infusion

What it involves

Procedures

As the registry describes them. Requirements to join, such as a tissue sample, are in the eligibility list above even when on-study procedures are optional. Ask the study team which steps apply to you.

  • biopsy: Described as optional
  • surgery: Part of the study plan; some time points described as optional

Goals

What the study measures

Main goals

  • Response rate (6 and 12 weeks after cell infusion, then every 3 months x3, then every 6 months x 2 years, then per PI discretion)

Other goals

  • Safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab in combination with TIL therapy
  • Frequency and severity of treatment-related adverse events

Planned enrollment: 332 (estimated).

Where

Recruiting US sites

  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland

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

Background research

Papers linked by the registry

These papers are listed in the registry record. Unless a paper is marked as about this trial, it is background research on the treatment or disease, not results from this study.

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.

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