Skip to main content

PD-L1 t-haNK, NAI IL-15sa and Cetuximab for Recurrent, Metastatic HNSCC

  • PhasePhase 2
  • StatusRecruiting
  • Planned enrollment25 people
  • Recruiting US sites2
  • SponsorDana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • RegistryNCT06239220

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

PD-L1 t-haNK, NAI IL-15sa and Cetuximab for Recurrent, Metastatic HNSCC: a one-minute explainerNCT062392201 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
  • SexAll
  • Healthy volunteersNo

You may be able to join if

  • Participants must have an existing histologically confirmed diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with evidence of recurrent, metastatic (R/M) or locoregionally advanced, incurable or unresectable disease from any mucosal subsite including oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, hypopharynx, nasal cavity, and the paranasal sinuses.
  • Participants must have at least one RECIST v1.1 measurable lesion, as defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded for non-nodal lesions and short axis for nodal lesions) ≥ 1 cm with CT scans or MR imaging.
  • Must have had at least 1, but no more than 2, prior lines of prior systemic therapy for R/M HNSCC; one of these lines should have included anti-PD-1/L1 therapy.
  • a.Platinum-based therapy as part of definitive/adjuvant or curative-intent treatment can count as 1 prior line of therapy if the subject progressed within 6 months of receiving therapy.
  • b. At least 2 weeks must have elapsed since the end of prior chemotherapy, biological agents (2 weeks for anti-cancer monoclonal antibody containing regimens) or any investigational drug product, with adequate recovery of treatment-related toxicity to NCI CTCAE v5 grade ≤1 (or tolerable grade 2) or back to baseline (except for alopecia or peripheral neuropathy).
  • Be ≥18 years of age on the day of signing informed consent.
  • Must provide prior documentation on tumor PD-L1 expression status and HPV status (for oropharyngeal cancer cases), if available from the medical record.
  • Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the ECOG Performance Scale (see Appendix A).
  • Participants must have adequate organ and marrow function as defined below (within 14 days prior to study registration):
  • a. ANC ≥1,000/mcL
  • b. Hemoglobin ≥9 g/dL
  • c. Platelets ≥100,000/mcL
  • d. Total bilirubin ≤ upper limit of normal (ULN)
  • e. AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT) ≤2.5x institutional ULN (or ≤1.5x institutional ULN if concomitant with alkaline phosphatase >2.5x institutional ULN) or ≤5x ULN for those with liver metastases
  • g. Serum creatinine ≤1.5x ULN or creatinine clearance ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 for participants with creatinine levels above 1.5x ULN
  • Baseline tumor measurements must be documented from imaging within 28 days prior to study registration.
  • Female subjects of childbearing potential should have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test within 7 days of study registration. Female subjects should not become pregnant or nurse a baby during the study and through 120 days after the last dose of study drugs. Male subjects should use a condom as a contraceptive during the study and through 120 days after the last dose of study drugs.
  • Sperm donation is discouraged for up to 6 months after the last dose of study drug.
  • Be willing and able to provide written informed consent for the trial.
  • HPV negative.

You cannot join if

  • Have been previously treated with 3 or more lines of systemic therapy for R/M HNSCC.
  • Have received radiation therapy (RT) within 10 days of starting protocol therapy.
  • Solid organ transplant (allograft) recipients.
  • Participant has known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. Subjects with previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they are stable (without evidence of progression by imaging and off systemic steroids for at least 3 weeks prior to study registration) and have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases.
  • A history of significant autoimmune disease as judged by the treating investigator and on active therapy including prednisone ≥10 mg daily dose equivalent of corticosteroids.
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including but not limited to ongoing or active infection; evidence of symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, stroke, or ventricular arrhythmia within 6 months of enrollment.
  • Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment. Exceptions might include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer.
  • Any known positive test result for hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus indicating presence of virus, e.g., hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg, Australia antigen) positive, or hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV) positive (except if HCV-RNA negative). Patients with HIV are eligible if their plasma HIV viral load is undetectable at baseline on antiretroviral therapy.
  • Subjects who are pregnant, or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial, starting with the pre-screening or screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment. Breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated on this protocol. Women who could potentially become pregnant while undergoing treatment on this protocol must be willing to use 2 methods of contraception.

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

  • PD-L1 t-haNK (Biological): Allogeneic, stable, clonal natural killer cell line product, via intravenous infusion (into the vein) per protocol.
  • Cetuximab (Drug): Epidermal growth factor receptor, via intravenous (into the vein) infusion per institutional standard of care.
  • NAI (Biological): Recombinant human superagonist, via subcutaneous injection (under the skin) per protocol.

The study

Treatment groups

Non Randomized · Sequential · masking: None

Dose Level 0: PD-L1 t-haNK + NAI + Cetuximab (Experimental)

Dose level modifications of PD-L1 t-haNK and NAI due to toxicities will follow protocol specifications, starting at Dose Level 0 and de-escalating to Dose Level -1. Participants will complete: * Baseline visit. * Imaging scans every 8 weeks while on study. * Cycle 1 through End of Treatment: --Days 1 and 15 of 28 day cycle in the following order: Predetermined dose of PD-L1 t-haNK 1x daily, predetermined dose of NAI 1x daily, and predetermined dose of Cetuximab 1x daily. * End of Treatment visit with assessments. * Follow up: follow up every 3-4 months for up to 3 years after end of treatment. Longer-term follow-up every 6-12 months for up to 15 years.

Dose Level -1: PD-L1 t-haNK + NAI + Cetuximab (Experimental)

Dose level modifications of PD-L1 t-haNK and NAI due to toxicities will follow protocol specifications. Participants will complete: * Baseline visit. * Imaging scans every 8 weeks while on study. * Cycle 1 through End of Treatment: --Days 1 and 15 of 28 day cycle in the following order: Predetermined dose of PD-L1 t-haNK 1x daily, predetermined dose of NAI 1x daily, and predetermined dose of Cetuximab 1x daily. * End of Treatment visit with assessments. * Follow up: follow up every 3-4 months for up to 3 years after end of treatment. Longer-term follow-up every 6-12 months for up to 15 years.

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.

  • CT scans: Part of the study plan
  • MRI: Part of the study plan
  • PET scans: Part of the study plan
  • ECG: Part of the study plan

Goals

What the study measures

Main goals

  • Objective Response Rate (ORR) (Disease will be evaluated through imaging every 2 cycles on day 1 and 15 (each cycle is 28 days) and through study completion (an average of 1 year). ORR expected to be observed up to 1 year.)

Other goals

  • Grade 3-5 Treatment-related Toxicity Rate
  • Median Duration of Response (DOR)
  • Median Progression-Free Survival (PFS)
  • Median Overall Survival (OS)

Planned enrollment: 25 (estimated).

Where

Recruiting US sites

  • Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

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 18, 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.