Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Exclusion Criteria

• •1. Active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 2 years (i.e. with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs). Replacement therapy (e.g., thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is not considered a form of systemic treatment.
• •2. Diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 2 years prior to the first dose of trial treatment.
• •3. Major surgical procedure within 28 days prior to enrollment. Note: If subject received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting therapy.
• •4. Any unresolved toxicity \> CTCAE grade 2 despite optimal care/support, from previous anti-cancer therapy, within 28 days prior to first dose of study drug. \[Exceptions: Alopecia and ≤grade 2 neuropathy.\]
• •5. Prior therapy with an anti-Programmed Death (PD)-1, anti-PD-Ligand-(L)-1, or anti-PD-L2 agent.
• •6. Receipt of anti-cancer monoclonal antibody within 4 weeks prior to first dose of study drug.
• •7. Prior treatment with any other chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or anticancer drug, agent or biologic within 4 weeks prior to first dose of study drug.
• •8. Has received a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study therapy. Note: Seasonal influenza vaccines for injection are generally inactivated flu vaccines and are allowed; however intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., Flu-Mist®) are live attenuated vaccines, and are not allowed.
• •9. Receipt of any other investigational agents for their cancer ≤4 weeks of the first dose of study treatment.
• •10. Known history of active Bacillus Tuberculosis (TB).
• •11. Known history of, or any evidence of active, non-infectious pneumonitis or has a history of (non-infectious) pneumonitis that required steroids or current pneumonitis.
• •12. Known history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), HIV-1/2 antibodies.
• •13. Known hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients.
• •14. Known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. \[Exception: Subjects with previously treated brain metastases may participate provided they are stable (without evidence of progression by imaging, for at least 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study drug and any neurologic symptoms have returned to baseline), have no evidence of new or enlarging brain metastases, and are not using steroids for at least 7 days prior to trial treatment. This exception does not apply to carcinomatous meningitis which is excluded regardless of clinical stability.\]
• •15. Is pregnant or breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the trial through 120 days after the last dose of trial treatment.
• •16. Any uncontrolled, intercurrent illness including but not limited to ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia.
• •17. Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment. \[Exception: Basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy, or in situ cervical cancer.\]
• •18. Any other serious medical or psychiatric illness/condition likely in the judgment of the Investigator(s) to interfere or limit compliance with study requirements/treatment.
• •19. Treatment for active hepatitis C virus (HCV) within 60 days of study entry. \[Note: Untreated HCV positive subjects are eligible, and if stable on pembrolizumab for 6 months after study entry, consideration may be given to starting anti-HCV therapy, at the discretion of the treating Investigator.\]
• •20. HCC patients with evidence of prior hepatitis B virus (HBV) must fulfill the following criteria in order to be eligible for the study: HBV viral load (VL) \<100 IU/mL before study enrollment, and subjects with active HBV need to be on anti-HBV suppression ≥3 months, throughout treatment and for 6 months after.