Gemcitabine/Cisplatin Plus Cemiplimab With or Without Fianlimab in Localized Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer (NeoSTOP-IT)

A Phase 2, Randomized, Open-label Study of Gemcitabine/Cisplatin Plus Cemiplimab (REGN2810, Anti-PD-1) With or Without Fianlimab (REGN3767, Anti-LAG-3) for Organ Preservation in Patients With Localized Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer (NeoSTOP-IT)

Gemcitabine/Cisplatin Plus Cemiplimab With or Without Fianlimab in Localized Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer (NeoSTOP-IT) (NCT06571708) is a Phase 2 interventional studying Bladder Cancer and Muscle-Invasive Bladder Carcinoma, sponsored by Columbia University. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.

About This Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if gemcitabine/cisplatin plus cemiplimab with or without fianlimab works to treat bladder cancer in adults. The main question it aims to answer is: Can gemcitabine, cisplatin, and cemiplimab with or without fianlimab treat bladder cancer? Participants will be randomly selected (like the loss of a coin) to treatment with gemcitabine, cisplatin, cemiplimab, and fianlimab or gemcitabine, cisplatin, and cemiplimab. Participants will: * Undergo transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) followed by the start of treatment, receive 4 cycles of treatment (21 day cycles) * After 4 cycles of treatment, patients will undergo repeat maximal TURBT with imaging * Participants with a complete response will continue maintenance cemiplimab or cemiplimab/fianlimab for 13 more cycles with imaging every 3 months * Participants without a complete clinical response will undergo cystectomy (bladder surgery).

What Stage of Research Is This?

Phase 2 trials evaluate whether a treatment actually works against Bladder Cancer and continue monitoring side effects. Phase 2 enrolls larger groups (typically 100–300 patients) and produces the first real efficacy signal. A successful Phase 2 readout is what unlocks the much larger Phase 3 confirmatory trials needed for FDA approval.

This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.

With a target enrollment of 36 participants, this is a small study — typical of early-phase research, rare-disease trials, or pilot studies designed to generate preliminary signal before a larger study is launched.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: - Willing and able to provide written willing to sign a consent form for the trial. - Age ≥18 years of age on day of signing willing to sign a consent form. - Life expectancy \> 12 months. - Performance status of 0-1 using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Scale. - diagnosed by tissue sample (biopsy-confirmed) muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder defined as T2-T3, N0, M0 stage. Mixed histology is permitted if there is a urothelial component. Upper tract disease in not permitted. - Prior Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) or other intravesical treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is permitted if completed at least 6 weeks prior to initiating study treatment. Only one course (includes induction + maintenance) of BCG or intravesical therapy is permitted. - No metastatic disease based on cross-sectional imaging. - Considered cisplatin eligible based on protocol specified criteria. - Not received any adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy or immunotherapy. - Agree to pre- and post-treatment TURBT as well as surveillance with cystoscopies, cross-sectional imaging, and urine cytology unless medically contraindicated in the opinion of the treating physician, and discussed with the principal investigator Who Should NOT Join This Trial: - Concurrent upper urinary tract (i.e., ureter, renal pelvis) invasive urothelial carcinoma. (NOTE: Patients with history of non-invasive (Ta, Tis) upper tract urothelial carcinoma that has been definitively treated with at least one post- treatment disease assessment (i.e. cytology, biopsy, imaging) that demonstrates no evidence of residual disease are eligible). - Received prior immune checkpoint inhibitors (including anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA4, anti-LAG-3 or any other antibody or drug specifically targeting T-cell co-stimulation or checkpoint pathways ), as well as cellular vaccines, cellular therapies, or systemic oncolytic virus therapy. ...See full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language

Inclusion Criteria: * Willing and able to provide written informed consent for the trial. * Age ≥18 years of age on day of signing informed consent. * Life expectancy \> 12 months. * Performance status of 0-1 using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Scale. * Histologically confirmed muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder defined as T2-T3, N0, M0 stage. Mixed histology is permitted if there is a urothelial component. Upper tract disease in not permitted. * Prior Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) or other intravesical treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is permitted if completed at least 6 weeks prior to initiating study treatment. Only one course (includes induction + maintenance) of BCG or intravesical therapy is permitted. * No metastatic disease based on cross-sectional imaging. * Considered cisplatin eligible based on protocol specified criteria. * Not received any adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy or immunotherapy. * Agree to pre- and post-treatment TURBT as well as surveillance with cystoscopies, cross-sectional imaging, and urine cytology unless medically contraindicated in the opinion of the treating physician, and discussed with the principal investigator Exclusion Criteria: * Concurrent upper urinary tract (i.e., ureter, renal pelvis) invasive urothelial carcinoma. (NOTE: Patients with history of non-invasive (Ta, Tis) upper tract urothelial carcinoma that has been definitively treated with at least one post- treatment disease assessment (i.e. cytology, biopsy, imaging) that demonstrates no evidence of residual disease are eligible). * Received prior immune checkpoint inhibitors (including anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA4, anti-LAG-3 or any other antibody or drug specifically targeting T-cell co-stimulation or checkpoint pathways ), as well as cellular vaccines, cellular therapies, or systemic oncolytic virus therapy. * Received bladder-directed radiation therapy previously for bladder cancer. * Received prior systemic chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. * Receiving any other investigational agents concurrently or within 4 weeks of start of treatment. * Had a solid organ or hematologic transplant. * Ongoing or recent (within 2 years) evidence of an autoimmune disease that required systemic treatment with immunosuppressive agents. The following are non-exclusionary: vitiligo, childhood asthma that has resolved, residual hypothyroidism that requires only hormone replacement, psoriasis not requiring systemic treatment * Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy (at a dose greater than 10mg/day of prednisone equivalent) or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 14 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment. Inhaled or topical steroids, and adrenal replacement steroid doses \>10 mg daily prednisone equivalent, are permitted in the absence of active autoimmune disease. * Has a history of myocarditis. * Patients with another active second malignancy other than non-melanoma skin cancers. * Has a known history of, or any evidence of, interstitial lung disease or active noninfectious pneumonitis. * Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy. * History or current evidence of significant (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grade ≥2) local or systemic infection (eg, cellulitis, pneumonia, septicemia) requiring systemic antibiotic treatment within 2 weeks prior to the first dose of trial medication. * Has a history of current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the subject's participation for the full duration of the trial, or is not in the best interest of the subject to participate, in the opinion of the treating investigator, including dialysis. * Has known psychiatric or substance abuse disorders that would interfere with cooperation with the requirements of the trial. * Uncontrolled infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection; or diagnosis of immunodeficiency that is related to, or results in chronic infection. * Is pregnant or is a breastfeeding woman.

Treatments Being Tested

DRUG

Gemcitabine

Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m\^2 IV

DRUG

Cisplatin

Cisplatin 70 mg/m\^2 IV or renally-dosed split-dose cisplatin 35 m/m\^2 IV

DRUG

Cemiplimab

Cemiplimab 350mg IV

DRUG

Fianlimab

Fianlimab 1600mg IV

Locations (1)

Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.

Columbia University Irving Medical Center/ New York Presbyterian Hospital

New York, New York, United States

How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial

Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT06571708), the sponsor (Columbia University), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.

Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.

Authoritative Sources

The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NCT06571708 clinical trial studying?

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if gemcitabine/cisplatin plus cemiplimab with or without fianlimab works to treat bladder cancer in adults. The main question it aims to answer is: Can gemcitabine, cisplatin, and cemiplimab with or without fianlimab treat bladder cancer? Participants will be randomly selected (like the loss of a coin) to treatment with gemcitabine, cisplatin, cemiplimab, and fianlimab or gemcitabine, cisplatin, and cemiplimab. Participants will: * Undergo transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) followed by the start of treatment, receive 4 cycles of trea… The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.

Who can participate in NCT06571708?

Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.

How do I contact the trial site for NCT06571708?

Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.

Is participating in a clinical trial safe?

Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.

Where can I verify the data on this page?

Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.

How This Page Is Built

Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT06571708. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT06571708. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."

Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.