Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Versus Placebo Following Surgery and Radiation in Participants With Locally Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (MK-3475-630/KEYNOTE-630)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03833167 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : February 6, 2019
Last Update Posted : May 26, 2023
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Carcinoma, Squamous Cell | Biological: Pembrolizumab 400 mg Drug: Placebo | Phase 3 |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 570 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Double (Participant, Investigator) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study to Evaluate Pembrolizumab Versus Placebo as Adjuvant Therapy Following Surgery and Radiation in Participants With High-risk Locally Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LA cSCC) (KEYNOTE-630) |
Actual Study Start Date : | April 1, 2019 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | May 5, 2025 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | September 29, 2028 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Pembrolizumab
Participants receive 400 mg pembrolizumab by intravenous (IV) infusion administered on Day 1 of each 42-day cycle (Q6W) for up to 9 cycles. Participants that complete 9 cycles of pembrolizumab and experience biopsy-proven-disease recurrence may be eligible to receive up to 18 additional cycles of pembrolizumab in an open-label design.
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Biological: Pembrolizumab 400 mg
Administered by IV infusion on Day 1 of each 42-day cycle
Other Names:
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Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Participants receive placebo by IV infusion administered on Day 1 of each 42-day cycle (Q6W) for up to 9 cycles. Participants treated with placebo who experience biopsy-proven-disease recurrence may be eligible to receive up to 18 cycles of pembrolizumab in an open-label design.
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Drug: Placebo
Administered by IV infusion on Day 1 of each 42-day cycle |
- Recurrence-Free Survival (RFS) as Assessed by the Investigator and Confirmed by Biopsy [ Time Frame: Up to approximately 60 months ]RFS was defined as the time between the date of randomization to the date of first local or regional recurrence of the index lesion, distant metastasis, or death due to any cause; whichever occurred first.
- Overall Survival (OS) [ Time Frame: Up to approximately 60 months ]OS is the time from randomization to death due to any cause.
- Change From Baseline in the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) Score [ Time Frame: Baseline and up to approximately 60 months ]Change from baseline in the score of EORTC QLQ-C30 is reported. The EORTC QLQ-C30 is a cancer specific health-related quality-of life (QoL) questionnaire, which contains 30 items and measures 5 functioning dimensions (physical, role, emotional, cognitive, and social), 3 symptom items (fatigue, nausea/vomiting, and pain), 6 single items (dyspnea, sleep disturbance, appetite loss, constipation, diarrhea, and financial impact), and a global health and QoL scale. Scores ranged from 0 -100. For functional and global quality of life (QoL) scales, higher scores meant a better level of function. For symptom-oriented scales, a higher score meant more severe symptoms and a decrease in QoL.
- Change From Baseline in Physical Functioning Using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) Items 1-5 Score [ Time Frame: Baseline and up to approximately 60 months ]Change from baseline in the score of EORTC QLQ-C30 Items 1-5 is reported. The EORTC QLQ-C30 is a cancer specific health-related quality-of life (QoL) questionnaire. Participant responses to 5 questions about their physical functioning are scored on a 4-point scale (1=Not at All to 4=Very Much). Using linear transformation, raw scores are standardized, so that scores range from 0 to 100. Higher scores meant a better level of function.
- Percentage of Participants Who Experience an Adverse Event (AE) [ Time Frame: Up to approximately 63 months ]An AE was defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a participant administered a study treatment and which does not necessarily have to have a causal relationship with this treatment. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign, symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a medicinal product or protocol-specified procedure, whether or not considered related to the study treatment or protocol-specified procedure. Any worsening (i.e., any clinically significant adverse change in frequency and/or intensity) of a pre-existing condition that is temporally associated with the use of study treatment, is also an AE. The percentage of participants who experience at least one AE will be presented.
- Percentage of Participants Who Discontinue Study Treatment Due to an Adverse Event (AE) [ Time Frame: Up to approximately 38 months ]An AE was defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a participant administered a study treatment and which does not necessarily have to have a causal relationship with this treatment. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign, symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a medicinal product or protocol-specified procedure, whether or not considered related to the study treatment or protocol-specified procedure. Any worsening (i.e., any clinically significant adverse change in frequency and/or intensity) of a pre-existing condition that is temporally associated with the use of study treatment, is also an AE. The percentage of participants who discontinue study treatment due to an AE will be presented.

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Has histologically confirmed cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) as the primary site of malignancy (metastatic skin involvement from another type of primary cancer or from an unknown primary cancer is not permitted)
- Has histologically confirmed LA cSCC with ≥1 high-risk feature(s) as the primary site of malignancy
- Has undergone complete macroscopic resection of all known cSCC disease with or without microscopic positive margins. For those participants with residual microscopic positive margin involvement, confirmation that additional re-excision is not possible must be provided
- Has completed adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for LA cSCC with last dose of RT ≥4 weeks and ≤16 weeks from randomization
- Has received an adequate post-op dose of RT (either hypofractionated or conventional)
- Is disease free as assessed by the investigator with complete radiographic staging assessment ≤28 days from randomization
- Is not pregnant or breastfeeding
- Is not a woman of childbearing potential (WOCBP)
- Has a negative pregnancy test ≤72 hours before the first dose of study intervention.
- Has provided an archival or newly-obtained tumor tissue sample adequate for Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) testing as determined by central laboratory testing
- Has a life expectancy of >3 months
- Has an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 ≤10 days prior to the first dose of study intervention.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Has macroscopic residual cSCC after surgery and/or recurrence with active cSCC disease before randomization
- Has any other histologic type of skin cancer other than invasive cSCC (eg, basal cell carcinoma) that has not been definitively treated with surgery or radiation; Bowen's disease; Merkel cell carcinoma; or melanoma
- Has received prior therapy with an anti-programmed cell death receptor 1(PD-1), anti- PD-L1, or anti-programmed cell death receptor ligand 2 (PD-L2) agent or with an agent directed to another co-stimulatory or co-inhibitory T-cell receptor (eg, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 [CTLA-4], OX-40, CD137)
- Has received prior systemic anticancer therapy including investigational agents for cSCC ≤4 weeks prior to before start of study intervention.
- Has not recovered from all radiation-related toxicities and has not had radiation pneumonitis
- Has received a live vaccine ≤30 days prior to the first dose of study intervention
- Has received an investigational agent or has used an investigational device within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study treatment.
- Has known additional malignancy that is progressing or has required active treatment within the past 2 years. Note: Participants with basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or carcinoma in situ, excluding carcinoma in situ of the bladder, that have undergone potentially curative therapy are not excluded. Other exceptions may be considered with Sponsor consultation. Note: Participants with low risk early-stage prostate cancer defined as below are not excluded: Stage T1c or T2a with a Gleason score ≤6 and a prostate-specific antigen (≤10 ng/ml) either treated with definitive intent or untreated in active surveillance that has been stable for the past year prior to study allocation. Early stage asymptomatic CLL without prior treatment and without any of the risk features (unmutated IGHV, lymphocytes >15,000μL, palpable lymph nodes) will be eligible for the study
- Has an active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in past 2 years except replacement therapy (eg, thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid).
- Has a history of (noninfectious) pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease that required steroids or has current pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease
- Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy
- Has a known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
- Has a known history of hepatitis B (defined as hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] reactive) or known active hepatitis C virus (HCV; defined as HCV RNA [qualitative] is detected) infection
- Is pregnant or breastfeeding or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the study, starting with the screening visit through 120 days after the last dose of study intervention
- Has had an allogeneic tissue/solid organ transplant

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03833167
Contact: Toll Free Number | 1-888-577-8839 | Trialsites@merck.com |

Study Director: | Medical Director | Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC |
Responsible Party: | Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03833167 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
3475-630 MK-3475-630 ( Other Identifier: Merck ) KEYNOTE-630 ( Other Identifier: Merck ) 2018-001974-76 ( EudraCT Number ) |
First Posted: | February 6, 2019 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | May 26, 2023 |
Last Verified: | May 2023 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Yes |
Plan Description: | http://engagezone.msd.com/doc/ProcedureAccessClinicalTrialData.pdf |
URL: | http://engagezone.msd.com/ds_documentation.php |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Programmed Cell Death-1 (PD-1) Programmed Cell Death 1 PD1 Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) |
Programmed Cell Death Ligand 2 (PD-L2) PDL1 PDL2 |
Carcinoma Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms Neoplasms, Squamous Cell |
Pembrolizumab Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological Antineoplastic Agents Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action |