← Back to Search

Monoclonal Antibodies

Trimodality Therapy for Prostate Cancer (TALON Trial)

Phase 2
Waitlist Available
Led By Bridget Koontz, MD
Research Sponsored by Bridget Koontz
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Be older than 18 years old
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up 12 weeks after prostatectomy
Awards & highlights
All Individual Drugs Already Approved
No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial will enroll prostate cancer patients who have an unfavorable outlook. They will receive a combination of drugs, radiation, and androgen deprivation therapy. Afterward, they will have surgery to remove the prostate. The tissue will be analyzed and they will be monitored for 2 years to see if their cancer returns.

Who is the study for?
Men aged 18+ with intermediate/high-risk prostate cancer who can sign consent, have adequate organ function, and meet specific risk criteria (e.g., Gleason score, PSA levels) as per NCCN guidelines. Excluded are those with metastasis, prior pelvic treatments like radiation or cryotherapy, recent investigational drug use, active autoimmune diseases requiring systemic treatment within the past 2 years, chronic steroid/immunosuppressive drug use (with some exceptions), uncontrolled illnesses that could affect study compliance or safety.
What is being tested?
The TALON trial is testing a 'trimodal therapy' for prostate cancer involving pembrolizumab (an immunotherapy drug), SBRT to the prostate gland, and short-term ADT followed by radical surgery to remove the prostate. The goal is to see if this combination delays the rise of PSA compared to historical data over a follow-up period of two years.
What are the potential side effects?
Possible side effects include immune-related reactions affecting organs due to pembrolizumab; skin irritation and fatigue from radiation therapy; hot flashes and sexual dysfunction from ADT; surgical risks such as bleeding or infection from radical prostatectomy.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~12 weeks after prostatectomy
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and 12 weeks after prostatectomy for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary study objectives
Percentage of subjects who achieve biochemical progression-free survival (BPFS) at 24 months (2 years)
Secondary study objectives
12 week post-operative PSA
Pathologic response in prostatectomy tissue

Awards & Highlights

All Individual Drugs Already Approved
Therapies where all constituent drugs have already been approved are likely to have better-understood side effect profiles.
No Placebo-Only Group
All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

1Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Single ArmExperimental Treatment4 Interventions
Subjects with unfavorable localized prostate cancer will be enrolled.This is a single arm, phase II study of pembrolizumab (Keytruda), SBRT, and Short-term Androgen Deprivation Therapy (STADT), known together as trimodality therapy, followed by radical prostatectomy 8 weeks after SBRT.
Treatment
First Studied
Drug Approval Stage
How many patients have taken this drug
Stereotactic body radiation therapy
2017
Completed Phase 1
~30
Pembrolizumab
FDA approved
Radical Prostatectomy
2005
Completed Phase 2
~4550

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

Bridget KoontzLead Sponsor
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLCIndustry Sponsor
4,001 Previous Clinical Trials
5,184,872 Total Patients Enrolled
27 Trials studying Prostate Cancer
17,455 Patients Enrolled for Prostate Cancer
Daniel George, MDLead Sponsor
7 Previous Clinical Trials
215 Total Patients Enrolled
3 Trials studying Prostate Cancer
138 Patients Enrolled for Prostate Cancer

Media Library

Pembrolizumab (Monoclonal Antibodies) Clinical Trial Eligibility Overview. Trial Name: NCT04569461 — Phase 2
Prostate Cancer Research Study Groups: Single Arm
Prostate Cancer Clinical Trial 2023: Pembrolizumab Highlights & Side Effects. Trial Name: NCT04569461 — Phase 2
Pembrolizumab (Monoclonal Antibodies) 2023 Treatment Timeline for Medical Study. Trial Name: NCT04569461 — Phase 2
~26 spots leftby Dec 2026