Photoimmunotherapy With ASP-1929 and Cemiplimab for the Treatment of Refractory, Inoperable, and Metastatic Stage IIIB-IV Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

In the researchers' words

This phase II trial tests how well photoimmunotherapy (PIT) with ASP-1929 in combination with cemiplimab works in treating patients with stage IIIB-IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has not responded to previous treatment (refractory), that is not suitable for surgery (inoperable), or that has spread from where it first started to other places in the body (metastatic). PIT is a treatment that combines drugs that become active when exposed to light, such as ASP-1929, with immunotherapy to target and kill tumor cells. ASP-1929 combines cetuximab with a light-sensitive component, sarotalocan. Cetuximab is in a class of medications called monoclonal antibodies. It binds to a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is found on some types of tumor cells. This may help keep tumor cells from growing. Sarotalocan is a fluorescent dye, infrared-activated fluorescent dye 700, that is light sensitive, and when activated by a special type of laser light, helps destroy or change tumor cells. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as cemiplimab, may help the body's immune system attack the tumor, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving PIT with ASP-1929 in combination with cemiplimab may kill more tumor cells in patients with refractory, inoperable, or metastatic stage IIIB-IV NSCLC.