Who is eligible for clinical trial NCT03407144?

Participants must meet protocol criteria for Hodgkin Lymphoma. Confirm exact inclusion and exclusion requirements with the study coordinator.

Does clinical trial NCT03407144 provide travel or cost reimbursement?

Check with the site coordinator at the participating facility for travel and lodging stipend availability, and for which routine-care costs are covered.

🏛️ Verified NIH Record • Updated 2026-02-17

Safety and Efficacy of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in Children and Young Adults With Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (MK-3475-667/KEYNOTE-667) (NCT03407144)

🔵 Active, Not Recruiting Phase2 💊 Investigational Drug / Biologic Sponsor: Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)

This study will examine the safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in combination with chemotherapy in children and young adults with newly diagnosed classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) who are slow early responders (SERs) to frontline chemotherapy.

Who can join: To join this study, participants generally need to meet the listed inclusion criteria (6 items) and avoid the listed exclusions (21 items).

Location: Children's Hospital of Alabama ( Site 0023) — Birmingham, Alabama

📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener

Instant Checklist

Check every box below. If you can check all of them, you may meet the study's basic screening requirements (final eligibility is confirmed by the site team).

Group 1: Must have newly diagnosed, pathologically confirmed classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) at Stages IA, IB and IIA without bulky disease. Group 2: Must have newly diagnosed, pathologically confirmed cHL at Stages IIEB, IIIEA,IIIEB, IIIB, IVA and IVB
Has measurable disease per investigator assessment.
Male participants are eligible to participate if they agree to the following during the intervention period: refrain from donating sperm plus either be abstinent from heterosexual intercourse as their preferred and usual lifestyle and agree to remain abstinent or must agree to use contraception per protocol unless confirmed to be azoospermic.
Female participants who are not pregnant or breastfeeding, and who are either not a woman of childbearing potential (WOCBP), or are a WOCBP who agrees to use approved contraception during the intervention period and for at least 120 days after the last dose of study intervention and agrees not to donate eggs (ova, oocytes) to others or freeze/store for her own use for the purpose of reproduction during this period.
Performance status: Lansky Play-Performance Scale ≥50 for children up to 16 years of age OR Karnofsky score ≥50 for participants ≥ 16 years of age
Has adequate organ function

Usually NOT eligible if any of the following apply:

Exclusion Criteria:
Has undergone solid organ transplant at any time, or prior allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation within the last 5 years
WOCBP who has a positive urine pregnancy test within 24 hours before the first dose of study treatment
Baseline left ventricular ejection fraction value \<50% or shortening fraction of \<27%
Has received prior therapy with an anti-Programmed Death (PD)-1, anti-Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1), or anti-PD-L2 agent or with an agent directed to another co-inhibitory T-cell receptor or has previously participated in a MSD pembrolizumab (MK-3475) clinical study
Has received any prior systemic anti-cancer therapy,including investigational agents for current diagnosis before randomization
Has received a live vaccine or live-attenuated vaccine within 30 days before the first dose of study intervention. Administration of killed vaccines are allowed
Has received an investigational agent or has used an investigational device within 4 weeks prior to study intervention administration
Has a diagnosis of lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL)
Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving chronic systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of pembrolizumab
Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment within the past 3 years
Has radiographically detectable central nervous system metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis as assessed by local site investigator at the time of diagnosis

🔍 Extracted verbatim from the official NIH eligibility criteria. Always confirm with the study coordinator.

📍 All Participating Trial Locations (93 Sites)

Children's Hospital of Alabama ( Site 0023) — Birmingham, Alabama
Phoenix Childrens Hospital ( Site 0034) — Phoenix, Arizona
Arkansas Children's Hospital ( Site 0046) — Little Rock, Arkansas
Kaiser - Orange County ( Site 0084) — Anaheim, California
Kaiser Permanente ( Site 0082) — Downey, California
Kaiser - Fontana ( Site 0083) — Fontana, California
MemorialCare Health System - Long Beach Medical Center-Cherese Mari Laulhere Children's Village ( Si — Long Beach, California
Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center ( Site 0024) — Los Angeles, California
Kaiser Permanente - Oakland ( Site 0047) — Oakland, California
Kaiser Permanente - Roseville ( Site 0080) — Roseville, California
Kaiser Permanente - Santa Clara ( Site 0079) — Santa Clara, California
Children's Hospital - Colorado ( Site 0028) — Aurora, Colorado
Connecticut Children's Medical Center ( Site 0045) — Hartford, Connecticut
Yale Cancer Center ( Site 0061) — New Haven, Connecticut
Children's National Medical Center ( Site 0090) — Washington D.C., District of Columbia
University of Florida ( Site 0051) — Gainesville, Florida
Memorial Regional Hospital/Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital ( Site 0048) — Hollywood, Florida
Arnold Palmer Hospital ( Site 0065) — Orlando, Florida
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston ( Site 0033) — Atlanta, Georgia
University of Chicago ( Site 0066) — Chicago, Illinois
Riley Hospital for Children ( Site 0091) — Indianapolis, Indiana
University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center ( Site 0057) — Lexington, Kentucky
University of Louisville-Norton Children's Hospital ( Site 0059) — Louisville, Kentucky
Johns Hopkins University ( Site 0025) — Baltimore, Maryland
Children's Hospital of Michigan ( Site 0056) — Detroit, Michigan

💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights

100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.

🏛️ View Official NIH Record ↗