Study of Adjuvant Cemiplimab Versus Placebo After Surgery and Radiation Therapy in Patients With High Risk Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Recruitment Status
ACTIVE, NOT RECRUITING
(See Contacts and Locations)Verified February 2026 by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Sponsor
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Information Provided by (Responsible Party)
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NCT03969004
Other Study ID Numbers:
R2810-ONC-1788
First Submitted
May 5, 2019
First Posted
May 30, 2019
Last Update Posted
March 26, 2026
Last Verified
February 2026

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this data on March 2026Link to the current ClinicalTrials.gov record .

History of Changes

Study Details

Study Description

Cemiplimab is a monoclonal antibody. Antibodies are proteins naturally found in the blood. A monoclonal antibody is a special antibody that is manufactured as a medication to target specific proteins in the body that may be involved in cancer. Cemiplimab works by blocking programmed death-1 (PD-1), a cell receptor on immune cells. By blocking PD-1, it is expected that the immune cells will attack cancer cells.

The study is being conducted in participants that have had surgery and radiation therapy for a type of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell cancer, and who have a risk that this cancer may come back.

The main purpose of the study is to determine if cemiplimab will prevent cutaneous squamous cell cancer (CSCC) from returning after surgery and radiation. Currently, we know that certain types of CSCC have a high chance of coming back after surgery and radiation. At this time, there is no approved treatment to give patients after surgery and radiation to prevent high-risk CSCC from coming back. We are investigating if the addition of cemiplimab will decrease the chance of these high-risk cancers coming back.

The study will also investigate if cemiplimab may help participants live for longer.

The study has two parts. Part 1: participants will receive every 3 weeks via intravenous infusion (drip into a vein) either cemiplimab (study drug) or placebo (similar to the study drug but without active medicine). After 12 weeks of treatment, cemiplimab or placebo will be given every 6 weeks. Part 1 of the study includes a screening period (up to 28 days), a treatment period (approximately 48 weeks), an end of treatment visit (approximately 30 days after completion of study drug treatment period) and a post-treatment follow-up period (approximately up to 5 years or until skin cancer returns or the study ends).

Part 2 of the study is optional and provides the participant with the option to receive cemiplimab if the cancer comes back if the participant was initially receiving placebo. There is no placebo in Part 2 of the study. If the cancer comes back, the study doctor will discuss with participants if they are eligible to participate in the optional part 2 of the study.

Part 2 of the study includes a brief screening period, a treatment period (approximately 96 weeks) and an end of treatment visit (approximately 30 days after the completion of the study drug treatment period).

Condition or DiseaseIntervention/Treatment
Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Drug: CemiplimabDrug: Placebo

Study Design

Study TypeInterventional
Actual Enrollment415 participants
Design AllocationRandomized
Interventional ModelParallel Assignment
MaskingQuadruple
Primary PurposeTreatment
Official TitleA Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study of Adjuvant Cemiplimab Versus Placebo After Surgery and Radiation Therapy in Patients With High Risk Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Study Start DateJune 3, 2019
Actual Primary Completion Date1yr 7mos from now
Actual Study Completion Date1yr 7mos from now

Groups and Cohorts

Group/CohortIntervention/Treatment
Cemiplimab
Drug: Cemiplimab
Intravenous (IV) infusion over 30 minutes
Placebo
Drug: Placebo
Intravenous (IV) infusion over 30 minutes

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures
  1. DFS defined as time from randomization to the first documented disease recurrence (local, regional and/or distant); or death due to any cause.
    For patients who do not have a tumor recurrence or death, DFS will be censored on the date of last disease assessment.
Secondary Outcome Measures
  1. Overall survival (OS), defined as time from randomization to the date of death. A patient who has not died will be censored on the last known date as alive.
  2. FFLRR defined as time from randomization to the date of first locoregional recurrence (LRR). Patients who died without a preceding LRR will be censored on the date of death.
    For patients who do not have a LRR or death, FFLRR will be censored on the date of last disease assessment.
  3. Freedom from distant recurrence (FFDR), defined as time from randomization to the date of first distant recurrence (DR). Patients who died without a preceding DR will be censored on the date of death.
    For patients who do not have a DR or death, FFDR will be censored on the date of last disease assessment.
  4. Cumulative occurrence of second primary cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma tumor (SPTs) for each patient from randomization to occurrence of first primary endpoint event or end of study.
  5. Incidence and severity of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAE)
  6. Incidence of deaths
  7. Incidence of laboratory abnormalities
  8. Cemiplimab concentrations in serum
  9. Anti-drug antibodies (ADA) in serum

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study(Adult, Older Adult)
Sexes Eligible for StudyAll
Accepts Healthy VolunteersNo
Inclusion Criteria
For Japan only, men and women ≥21 years old
Patient with resection of pathologically confirmed CSCC (primary CSCC lesion only, or primary CSCC with nodal involvement, or CSCC nodal metastasis with known primary CSCC lesion previously treated within the draining lymph node echelon), with macroscopic gross resection of all disease
High risk CSCC, as defined in the protocol
Completion of curative intent post-operative radiation therapy (RT) within 2 to 10 weeks of randomization
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) ≤1
Adequate hepatic, renal, and bone marrow function as defined in the protocol Key
Exclusion Criteria
Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) arising in non-cutaneous sites as defined in the protocol
Concurrent malignancy other than localized CSCC and/or history of malignancy other than localized CSCC within 3 years of date of randomization as defined in the protocol
Patients with hematologic malignancies (note: patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are not excluded if they have not required systemic therapy for CLL within 6 months of enrollment)
Patients with history of distantly metastatic CSCC (visceral or distant nodal), unless the disease-free interval is at least 3 years (regional nodal involvement of disease in draining lymph node basin that was resected and radiated prior to enrollment will not be exclusionary)
Ongoing or recent (within 5 years of randomization date) evidence of significant autoimmune disease that required treatment with systemic immunosuppressive treatments, which may suggest risk for immune-related adverse events (irAEs). The following are not exclusionary: vitiligo, childhood asthma that has resolved, type 1 diabetes, residual hypothyroidism that required only hormone replacement, or psoriasis that does not require systemic treatment.
Has had prior systemic anti-cancer immunotherapy for CSCC Note: Other protocol defined Inclusion/Exclusion criteria apply

Contacts and Locations

Sponsors and CollaboratorsRegeneron Pharmaceuticals
Locations
Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center | Gilbert Arizona, United States, 85234Mayo Clinic Hospital | Phoenix Arizona, United States, 85054Regeneron Study Site | Tucson Arizona, United States, 85724-5024The Angeles Clinic | Los Angeles California, United States, 90025University of Southern California (USC) | Los Angeles California, United States, 90033Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford Medicine at Stanford University | Palo Alto California, United States, 94304University Of California San Francisco (UCSF) - Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center | San Francisco California, United States, 94143-0981George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences | Washington D.C. District of Columbia, United States, 20037University of Florida Health | Gainesville Florida, United States, 032608Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center | Miami Florida, United States, 33136Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health, Inc. | Miami Florida, United States, 33176University of South Florida (USF) - H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute | Tampa Florida, United States, 33612Regeneron Study Site | Atlanta Georgia, United States, 30342Regeneron Study Site | Chicago Illinois, United States, 60611Regeneron Study Site | Louisville Kentucky, United States, 40202Regeneron Study Site | Baltimore Maryland, United States, 21287Massachusetts General Cancer Center | Boston Massachusetts, United States, 02114Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center | Boston Massachusetts, United States, 02215Michigan Medicine- University of Michigan | Ann Arbor Michigan, United States, 48109University of Missouri Health Care - University Physicians - Medicine Specialty Clinic | Columbia Missouri, United States, 65212Washington University in Saint Louis | St Louis Missouri, United States, 63110Nebraska Methodist Hospital | Omaha Nebraska, United States, 68114Memorial Sloan Kettering | Basking Ridge New Jersey, United States, 07920Memorial Sloan Kettering | Middletown New Jersey, United States, 07748Memorial Sloan Kettering | Montvale New Jersey, United States, 07645Memorial Sloan Kettering | New Brunswick New Jersey, United States, 08903Memorial Sloan Kettering | Commack New York, United States, 11725Memorial Sloan Kettering | Harrison New York, United States, 10604NYU Langone Health | New York New York, United States, 10016Columbia University | New York New York, United States, 10032Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | New York New York, United States, 10065Memorial Sloan Kettering | Uniondale New York, United States, 11553Regeneron Research Site | Cincinnati Ohio, United States, 45267The Ohio State University | Gahanna Ohio, United States, 43230Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital | Hershey Pennsylvania, United States, 17025University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Pennsylvania, United States, 19104Sarah Cannon Research Institute - Tennessee Oncology | Nashville Tennessee, United States, 37203Texas Oncology - Baylor Charles A. Simmons Cancer Center | Dallas Texas, United States, 75246UT Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas Texas, United States, 75390University Of Virginia Health System | Charlottesville Virginia, United States, 22908The Border Cancer Hospital Dispensary - Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre | Albury New South Wales, Australia, 2640Coffs Harbour Health Campus | Coffs Harbour New South Wales, Australia, 2450Central Coast Cancer Centre-Gosford and Wyong Hospitals | Gosford New South Wales, Australia, 2250St George Hospital | Kogarah New South Wales, Australia, 2217North Shore Private Hospital | St Leonards New South Wales, Australia, 2065Cancer Care Associates (CCA) Riverina Cancer Care Centre (RCCC) | Wagga Wagga New South Wales, Australia, 2650Calvary Mater Newcastle | Waratah New South Wales, Australia, 2298Westmead Hospital | Westmead New South Wales, Australia, 2145Illawarra Cancer Care Centre (ICCC) | Wollongong New South Wales, Australia, 2500Melanoma Institute | Sydney North South Wales, Australia, 2060Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service - Cancer Care Services | Bundaberg Queensland, Australia, 4670Cairns Hospital | Cairns Queensland, Australia, 4870The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital | Herston Queensland, Australia, 4029ICON Cancer Care | Southport Queensland, Australia, 4215Toowoomba Hospital | Toowoomba Queensland, Australia, 4350Genesis Care Tugun - John Flynn Private Hospital | Tugun Queensland, Australia, 4224Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service - Cancer Care Services - Hervey Bay | Urraween Queensland, Australia, 4655Princess Alexandra Hospital | Woolloongabba Queensland, Australia, 4102Ashford Cancer Centre Research-Adelaide Cancer Centre | Kurralta Park South Australia, Australia, 5037Royal Hobart Hospital-Hobart Hospital | Hobart Tasmania, Australia, 7000Royal Hobart Hospital | Hobart Tasmania, Australia, 7000Bendigo Health | Bendigo Victoria, Australia, 3550St. Vincent's Hospital | Fitzroy Victoria, Australia, 3065Olivia Newton -John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre | Heidelberg Victoria, Australia, 3084Peter Maccallum Cancer Centre (PMCC) | Melbourne Victoria, Australia, 3000Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital | Nedlands Western Australia, Australia, 6009Royal Adelaide Hospital | Adelaide , Australia, 5000Liverpool Cancer Therapy Center | Liverpool , Australia, 2170University of New South Wales (UNSW) - Liverpool Hospital - Liverpool Cancer Therapy Centre | Liverpool , Australia, 2170The Townsville Hospital and Health Service | Townsville , Australia, 4814Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven Gasthuisberg Campus | Leuven Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium, 3000Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc | Brussels , Belgium, 1200Fundacao Sao Francisco Xavier - Hospital Marcio Cunha (HMC) - Unidade I | Ipatinga Minas Gerais, Brazil, 35160-158Fundacao Pio XII - Hospital de Cancer de Barretos | Barretos Porte Alegre, Brazil, 90610-000Instituto Nacional de Cancer Jose Alencar Gomes da Silva ¿ INCA | Santo Cristo Rio de Janiero, Brazil, 20220-410Hospital Sao Vicente de Paulo (HSVP) | Passo Fundo Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 99010-080Centro de Pesquisa em Oncologia - Uniao Brasileira de Educacao e Assistencia Hospital Sao Lucas da PUCRS | Porto Alegre Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 90610-000Centro De Novos Tratamentos Itajai | Itajaí Santa Catarina, Brazil, 88301-220ANIMI | Lages Santa Catarina, Brazil, 88501-001Centro Oncologico Mogi das Cruzes | Mogi das Cruzes São Paulo, Brazil, 08730-500Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medician de Ribeirao Preto FMRP USP | Ribeirão Preto São Paulo, Brazil, 14049-900Ynova pesquisa clinica | Florianópolis , Brazil, 88020-210Instituto do Cancer do Estado de Sao Paulo - ICESP | São Paulo , Brazil, 05403-000University Health Network- Princess Margaret Cancer Center | Toronto Ontario, Canada, M5G 2M9Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Dijon - Hopital du Bocage | Dijon Dijon Cedex, France, 21079Hopital Saint Andre - CHU de Bordeaux | Bordeaux , France, 33604Hopital Ambroise Pare | Boulogne-Billancourt , France, 92100Centre Hospitalier Universitaire De Grenoble- Hopital Albert Michallon | La Tronche , France, 38700Centre Hospitalier Regional Universitaire de Lille - Hopital Claude Huriez | Lille , France, 59037Centre Leon-Berard (CLB) - Centre de Recherche en Cancerologie Lyon-Est (CRCL) | Lyon , France, 69008Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes (CHU de Nantes) - Hopital Hotel Dieu | Nantes , France, 44093Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice,Hopital l Archet | Nice , France, 06202CIC Cochin Pasteur, Hopital Cochin | Paris , France, 7504Hospital Saint-Louis - APHP | Paris , France, 75475Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud | Pierre-Bénite , France, 69495Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rouen-Hopital Charles Nicolle | Rouen , France, 76031Institut Gustave Roussy-Gustave Roussy Cancer Center -DITEP | Villejuif , France, 94805NCT Dermatoonkologie -Hautklinik Heidelberg | Heidelberg Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, 69120Universitaetsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz KoeR | Mainz Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, 55131Charite- Universitaetsmedizin Berlin | Berlin , Germany, 10117Universitaetsklinikum der Ruhr Universitaet Bochum (UKRUB), St. Josef Hospital | Bochum , Germany, 44791Elbekliniken Buxtehude | Buxtehude , Germany, 21614Klinikum der Universitaet zu Koeln | Cologne , Germany, 50937University Hospital Dresden | Dresden , Germany, 01307Universitaetsklinikum Essen (AoR) | Essen , Germany, 45147SLK-Kliniken Heilbronn GmbH | Heilbronn , Germany, 74078Universitaetsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel | Kiel , Germany, 24105LMU Munchen | München , Germany, 80337University Hospital Tuebingen | Tübingen , Germany, 72076University of Athens - Hospital of Venereology Dermatology Diseases Andreas Syggros | Athens Attica, Greece, 16121Office of Dr. Aimilios Lallas MD | Thessaloniki , Greece, 546 23St. Vincent's University Hospital | Dublin Leinster, Ireland, DO4 YN63University College Cork-Cork University Maternity Hospital | Cork , Ireland, University Hospital Galway | Galway , Ireland, H91 YR71ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII | Bergamo , Italy, 24128Policlinico S.Orsola-Malpighi U.O. Dermatologia - University of Bologna | Bologna , Italy, 40138ASST Spedali Civili Brescia | Brescia , Italy, 089263University of Brescia | Brescia , Italy, 25121Universita di Firenze - Azienda Sanitaria Firenze | Florence , Italy, 50125University L'Aquila | L’Aquila , Italy, 67100IRCCS-Istituto Europeo di Oncologia | Milan , Italy, 20141U.O.S.C Di Oncologia Medica E Terapie Innovative | Naples , Italy, 43100UOC Oncoematologia AOU Luigi Vanvitelli | Naples , Italy, 80131A. Gemelli University Hospital, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart | Rome , Italy, 00168IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas | Rozzano , Italy, 20089AOU Citta della Salute e della Scienza di Torino | Torino , Italy, 10126Sapporo Medical University Hospital | Sapporo Hokkaido, Japan, 060-8543Shizuoka Cancer Center - Oncology | Nagaizumi-Cho Shizuoka, Japan, 411-8777National Cancer Center Hospital - Gastrointestinal Oncology | Chuo-ku Tokyo, Japan, 104-0045Niigata Cancer Center Hospital | Niigata , Japan, 951-8566Osaka International Cancer Institute - Clinical Oncology | Osaka , Japan, 541-8567Regeneron Study Site | Auckland , New Zealand, 1023Palmerston North Hospital | Palmerston North , New Zealand, 4410Narodowy Instytut Onkologii im. Marii Sk¿odowskiej-Curie - Panstwowy Instytut Badawczy, Oddzial w Gliwicach | Gliwice , Poland, 44-102Regeneron Study Site | Krakow , Poland, 30-820Regeneron Study Site | Poznan , Poland, 61-306Regeneron Study Site | Warsaw , Poland, 04-141Narodowy Instytut Onkologii im. Marii Sklodowskiej-Curie Panstwowy Instytut Badawczy | Warsaw , Poland, 20-090State Healthcare Institution Oncology Dispensary 2 Ministry of Healthcare of Krasnodar Region | Sochi Krasnodarskiy Kray, Russia, 354057SBHI of Stavropol Region Pyatigorsk Interdistrict Oncology Dispensary | Pyatigorsk Stavropol Kray, Russia, 357502Regeneron Study Site | Magnitogorsk , Russia, 455001N.N.Blokhin Cancer Research Center | Moscow , Russia, 33756Regeneron Research Site | Omsk , Russia, 644013Federal State Budgetary Institution Rostov Research Institute of Oncology of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation | Rostov-on-Don , Russia, 344037Regeneron Study Site | Saint Petersburg , Russia, 198255Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron | Barcelona Catalonia, Spain, 08035Hospital Universitario Fundacion Alcorcon | Alcorcón Madrid, Spain, 28922Hospital Universitario de Torrejon | Torrejón de Ardoz Madrid, Spain, 28850Catalan institute of Oncology Badalona | Badalona , Spain, 8916Hospital Clinic de Barcelona - Institut Clinic de Malalties Hematologiques i Oncologiques (ICMHO) | Barcelona , Spain, 08036Genesis Care hospital San Francisco de Asis | Madrid , Spain, 28002Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Maranon (HGUGM) | Madrid , Spain, 28007Clinica Universidad de Navarra | Madrid , Spain, 28027Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre-Centro de Actividades Ambulatorias | Madrid , Spain, 28041Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro de Majadahonda | Majadahonda , Spain, 28222Hospital Clinico Universitario de Salamanca | Salamanca , Spain, 37007Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena-merge | Seville , Spain, 41009Instituto Valenciano de Oncología | Valencia , Spain, 46009Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe-merge | Valencia , Spain, 46026Derriford Hospital | Plymouth Devon, United Kingdom, PL6 8DHUniversity Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust - Bristol Haematology And Oncology Centre (BHOC) - Bristol Cancer Institute | Bristol Somerset, United Kingdom, BS2 8EDVelindre NHS Trust, Velindre Cancer Centre | Cardiff , United Kingdom, CF14 2TLThe Lothian University Hospitals NHS Lothian - Western General Hospital (WGH) | Edinburgh , United Kingdom, EH4 2XUBeatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre - Greater Glasgow Health Board | Glasgow , United Kingdom, G12 0YNSt George's Hospital - St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | London , United Kingdom, SW17 0QTThe Christie - The Christie NHS Foundation Trust | Manchester , United Kingdom, M20 4QL
Investigators
Study Director: Clinical Trial Management, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals