Phase 2 Head and Neck Cancer Trial, Recruiting
Who may be able to join
AI generated eligibility summary. Written by an AI model from the official source data and checked on a sample basis. It can contain mistakes, so confirm anything important against the original source. How we use AI
Who might be able to join this trial:
- Adults aged 18 or older who are able to give informed consent to participate
- People who have been diagnosed through laboratory testing with head and neck squamous cell cancer (a type of cancer affecting the mouth, throat, voice box, nasal passages, or sinuses) that has come back or spread; people with cancer of unknown origin in the neck lymph nodes may also be considered if their cancer tests positive for HPV
- People whose cancer has a protein marker called PD-L1 with a combined positive score of 1 or higher, meaning a doctor has determined them to be a candidate for treatment with pembrolizumab alone
- People who are not being considered for surgery to remove the cancer
- People whose cancer can be measured on scans according to a standard set of measurement rules (RECIST 1.1)
- People expected by the investigator to live for more than 3 months
- People with a general health and activity level rated as 0 or 1 on a standard medical scale (meaning fully active or able to carry out light activity)
- People who have recovered from most side effects of any previous cancer treatments
- People of reproductive potential who have used reliable contraception for at least 1 month before joining, and who agree to continue using it throughout the study and for 8 weeks after the last dose of study treatment
- People whose blood test results meet specific minimum levels for white blood cells, platelets, haemoglobin, liver function, kidney function, and certain minerals (confirm exact values with the trial site)
Who may not be able to join:
- People who are already taking a statin medication (a type of cholesterol-lowering drug)
- People with liver problems that would make taking a statin unsafe
- People who have had radiation therapy to the head and neck or other areas within the 4 weeks before joining
- People who have received chemotherapy or another experimental treatment within the 4 weeks before joining
- People who have previously been treated with immune checkpoint therapy (a type of cancer immunotherapy)
- People currently taking certain medications that are known to interact with lovastatin, such as cimetidine, spironolactone, or ketoconazole (confirm the full list with the trial site)
- People who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant
- People who are unable to swallow tablets
- People with a known allergy or previous serious reaction to lovastatin, other statin drugs, or pembrolizumab
Important: Always verify eligibility with the trial site directly before applying.
Based on publicly available eligibility criteria from ClinicalTrials.gov. Verify directly with the trial site before acting. This is not medical advice.
Contact this trial
Principal Investigator: Nicole C Schmitt, D, FACS, Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute
Phone: 404-778-0278
Contact details sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. Verify directly with the trial site before attending.
GP referral letter
Print a one-page summary to share with your doctor.
Trial details
Where this trial is recruiting
Primary endpoints
Objective response rate (ORR)
Can't join this trial?
Data last synced from ClinicalTrials.gov: 20 July 2026. Trial status can change. Always verify current status directly with the trial site before making any decision.