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Head and Neck CancerPhase 2neoCHANCE-1NCT05517330

Neoadjuvant Tislelizumab With Afatinib for Resectable Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

A Phase 2 study testing Tislelizumab and Afatinib in people with Head and Neck Cancer, run by West China Hospital at 1 site in China.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to explore the efficiency and safety of anti-Programmed death-1 (PD-1) immunotherapy, tislelizumab, combined with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), afatinib as a new neoadjuvant treatment regimen for patients with resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Head and Neck Cancer
What is being tested?
Tislelizumab and Afatinib
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
23 participants
Where
1 siteChina
Study dates
19 Sep 2022to 31 Jul 2024
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age 18 years or above.
  • Patients with pathologically confirmed HNSCC (except for nasopharyngeal carcinoma) and meet the following conditions:
  • were newly diagnosed and without distant metastasis;
  • were deemed surgically resectable evaluated by a head and neck surgeon;
  • were willing to undergo surgery.
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1.
Show all 12Show fewer
  • Adequate organ and bone marrow function:
  • absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1.5 × 10^9/L, hemoglobin ≥ 80 g/L, platelets ≥ 80 × 10^9/L;
  • ALT, AST and ALP < 2.5× upper limit of normal (ULN), total bilirubin ≤ 2×ULN; albumin≥ 2.8 g/dL；
  • creatinine clearance ≥ 60 ml/min；
  • INR≤ 1.5, APTT≤ 1.5×ULN.
  • Written informed consent.

Who cannot join

  • History of other malignancies (except for the history of malignant tumors that have been cured and have not recurred within 5 years, such as skin basal cell carcinoma, skin squamous cell carcinoma, superficial bladder cancer, in situ cervical cancer, and gastrointestinal mucosal cancer, etc.）
  • Have an active autoimmune disease requiring systemic treatment or a documented history of clinically severe autoimmune disease.
  • Any history of allergic disease, or a sever hypersensitivity reaction to drugs, or allergy to the study drug components.
  • Any of prior therapy with:
  • anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1/2, anti-CTLA-4 antibody, anti-EGFR antibody or EGFR-TKIs；
  • antitumor vaccine;
Show all 19Show fewer
  • any active vaccine against an infectious disease within 4 weeks prior to the first dose or planned during the study period;
  • major surgery or serious trauma within 4 weeks before the first dose;
  • toxicity from prior antitumor therapy has not recovered to ≤ CTCAE Version 5.0 Grade 1 or the level specified by the inclusion/exclusion criteria.
  • With serious medical diseases, such as grade II and above cardiac dysfunction (NYHA criteria), ischemic heart disease, supraventricular or ventricular arrhythmia, poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, poorly controlled hypertension, echocardiographic ejection fraction < 50%, etc.
  • With interstitial pneumonitis, non-infectious pneumonitis, active pulmonary tuberculosis, or history of pulmonary tuberculosis infection that were not controlled by treatment.
  • With hyperthyroidism, or organic thyroid disease.
  • With active infection, or unexplained fever during the screening period or 48 hours before the first dose.
  • With active hepatitis B or C, or known history of positive HIV test, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
  • History of a clear neurological or psychiatric disorder.
  • History of drug abuse or alcohol abuse.
  • Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a reproductive plan from the screening period to 3 months after the end of the study, or have sex without contraceptive measures, or are unwilling to take appropriate contraceptive measures.
  • Received any investigational drug within 4 weeks prior to the first dose, or concurrently enrolled in another clinical trial.
  • Any other factors that are not suitable for inclusion in this study judged by investigators.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

China1 site

  • Xingchen Peng

    Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041

Other trials in China

About this study

Official title: Neoadjuvant Tislelizumab With Afatinib for the Treatment of Resectable Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Single-Arm Phase 2 Trial (neoCHANCE-1 Trial)

The purpose of this study is to explore the efficiency and safety of anti-Programmed death-1 (PD-1) immunotherapy, tislelizumab, combined with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), afatinib as a new neoadjuvant treatment regimen for patients with resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Read the detailed description

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the most common malignancy of the head and neck. More than 60% of patients with HNSCC have locally advanced or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, with a 5-year overall survival rate of less than 60%. The clinical outcomes of those patients still need to be improved.

Neoadjuvant therapy theoretically can reduce tumor volume, increase organ retention rate, and reduce distant metastasis rate. However, in addition to nasopharyngeal carcinoma, results from several phase III clinical trials have not proved a significant survival benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with resectable HNSCC. It is urgent to explore new neoadjuvant treatment options to improve the prognosis of patients with HNSCC.

Immunotherapy such as PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have shown excellent efficiency in the treatment of malignancies. Anti-PD-1 therapy is approved as the first-line treatment of recurrent/metastatic HNSCC. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy for the treatment of locally advanced and resectable HNSCC has been demonstrated to be feasible in some trials.

Afatinib, as an irreversible ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has been used as the second-line treatment for recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC. However, there is a lack of high-level evidence-based medical evidence for the use of afatinib in preoperative therapy for HNSCC. A previous study published in 2018 confirmed that afatinib can be administered safely before surgery.

In summary, the investigators designed this study to explore the efficiency and safety of anti-PD1 immunotherapy, tislelizumab, combined with EGFR-TKI, afatinib as a new neoadjuvant treatment regimen for patients with resectable HNSCC, aiming to provide a new treatment option for those patients.

Being tested
Tislelizumab, Afatinib
Keywords
Head and Neck Cancer, Neoadjuvant therapy, Immunotherapy, EGFR-TKI
Medical subject headings
Head and Neck Neoplasms

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • TislelizumabBiological

    Also called BGB-A317

    200mg IV Q3W

  • AfatinibDrug

    30mg PO QD

Study groups in NCT05517330
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Treatment CohortExperimental* Tislelizumab administration on days 1 and 22, and afatinib continuous administration from days 1 to 42 * Standard of care surgery
Receives: Biological: Tislelizumab; Drug: Afatinib

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Major Pathologic Response

    Major Pathologic Response (MPR) was defined as fewer than 10% viable tumor cells.

    Measured: Time of surgery

Secondary outcomes (4)

  1. Pathologic Complete Response

    Pathologic Complete Response (pCR) was defined as the absence of viable tumor cells.

    Measured: Time of surgery

  2. Objective Response Rate

    Objective Response Rate (ORR) was defined as the percentage of participants with a best overall response of CR or PR using RECIST Criteria.

    Measured: Up to 8 weeks

  3. Adverse events

    Adverse events were defined as the number of participants with adverse events using CTCAE Criteria or with an unplanned surgery delay.

    Measured: Up to 12 weeks

  4. Disease-free Survival

    Disease-free Survival (DFS) was defined as the time from the administration of the first dose to first disease progression or death.

    Measured: 1 year

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted26 Aug 2022
  2. Study start19 Sep 2022
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2023
  4. Study completion31 Jul 2024

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
23 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05517330
Sponsor's protocol ID
ChiECRCT20210619
Acronym
neoCHANCE-1
Status last verified
Jul 2025
First submitted
19 Aug 2022
Last updated
31 Jul 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Ferlay J, Colombet M, Soerjomataram I, Mathers C, Parkin DM, Pineros M, Znaor A, Bray F. Estimating the global cancer incidence and mortality in 2018: GLOBOCAN sources and methods. Int J Cancer. 2019 Apr 15;144(8):1941-1953. doi: 10.1002/ijc.31937. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

    PubMed 30350310

  • Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel RL, Torre LA, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018 Nov;68(6):394-424. doi: 10.3322/caac.21492. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

    PubMed 30207593

  • Pulte D, Brenner H. Changes in survival in head and neck cancers in the late 20th and early 21st century: a period analysis. Oncologist. 2010;15(9):994-1001. doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2009-0289. Epub 2010 Aug 26.

    PubMed 20798198

  • Denaro N, Merlano MC, Russi EG. Follow-up in Head and Neck Cancer: Do More Does It Mean Do Better? A Systematic Review and Our Proposal Based on Our Experience. Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol. 2016 Dec;9(4):287-297. doi: 10.21053/ceo.2015.00976. Epub 2016 Jun 25.

    PubMed 27337948

  • Harari PM. Promising new advances in head and neck radiotherapy. Ann Oncol. 2005;16 Suppl 6:vi13-vi19. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdi453.

    PubMed 15987991

  • Haddad R, O'Neill A, Rabinowits G, Tishler R, Khuri F, Adkins D, Clark J, Sarlis N, Lorch J, Beitler JJ, Limaye S, Riley S, Posner M. Induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (sequential chemoradiotherapy) versus concurrent chemoradiotherapy alone in locally advanced head and neck cancer (PARADIGM): a randomised phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2013 Mar;14(3):257-64. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(13)70011-1. Epub 2013 Feb 13.

    PubMed 23414589

  • Cohen EE, Karrison TG, Kocherginsky M, Mueller J, Egan R, Huang CH, Brockstein BE, Agulnik MB, Mittal BB, Yunus F, Samant S, Raez LE, Mehra R, Kumar P, Ondrey F, Marchand P, Braegas B, Seiwert TY, Villaflor VM, Haraf DJ, Vokes EE. Phase III randomized trial of induction chemotherapy in patients with N2 or N3 locally advanced head and neck cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2014 Sep 1;32(25):2735-43. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2013.54.6309. Epub 2014 Jul 21.

    PubMed 25049329

  • Geoffrois L, Martin L, De Raucourt D, Sun XS, Tao Y, Maingon P, Buffet J, Pointreau Y, Sire C, Tuchais C, Babin E, Coutte A, Rolland F, Kaminsky MC, Alfonsi M, Lapeyre M, Saliou M, Lafond C, Jadaud E, Gery B, Zawadi A, Tourani JM, Khoury C, Henry AR, Hasbini A, Guichard F, Borel C, Meert N, Guillet P, Calais MH, Garaud P, Bourhis J. Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Cetuximab Radiotherapy Is Not Superior to Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Head and Neck Carcinomas: Results of the GORTEC 2007-02 Phase III Randomized Trial. J Clin Oncol. 2018 Nov 1;36(31):3077-3083. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2017.76.2591. Epub 2018 Jul 17.

    PubMed 30016178

  • Ferris RL, Blumenschein G Jr, Fayette J, Guigay J, Colevas AD, Licitra L, Harrington K, Kasper S, Vokes EE, Even C, Worden F, Saba NF, Iglesias Docampo LC, Haddad R, Rordorf T, Kiyota N, Tahara M, Monga M, Lynch M, Geese WJ, Kopit J, Shaw JW, Gillison ML. Nivolumab for Recurrent Squamous-Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck. N Engl J Med. 2016 Nov 10;375(19):1856-1867. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1602252. Epub 2016 Oct 8.

    PubMed 27718784

  • Burtness B, Harrington KJ, Greil R, Soulieres D, Tahara M, de Castro G Jr, Psyrri A, Baste N, Neupane P, Bratland A, Fuereder T, Hughes BGM, Mesia R, Ngamphaiboon N, Rordorf T, Wan Ishak WZ, Hong RL, Gonzalez Mendoza R, Roy A, Zhang Y, Gumuscu B, Cheng JD, Jin F, Rischin D; KEYNOTE-048 Investigators. Pembrolizumab alone or with chemotherapy versus cetuximab with chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-048): a randomised, open-label, phase 3 study. Lancet. 2019 Nov 23;394(10212):1915-1928. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32591-7. Epub 2019 Nov 1.

    PubMed 31679945

  • Machiels JP, Haddad RI, Fayette J, Licitra LF, Tahara M, Vermorken JB, Clement PM, Gauler T, Cupissol D, Grau JJ, Guigay J, Caponigro F, de Castro G Jr, de Souza Viana L, Keilholz U, Del Campo JM, Cong XJ, Ehrnrooth E, Cohen EE; LUX-H&N 1 investigators. Afatinib versus methotrexate as second-line treatment in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck progressing on or after platinum-based therapy (LUX-Head & Neck 1): an open-label, randomised phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2015 May;16(5):583-94. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(15)70124-5. Epub 2015 Apr 16.

    PubMed 25892145

  • Guo Y, Ahn MJ, Chan A, Wang CH, Kang JH, Kim SB, Bello M, Arora RS, Zhang Q, He X, Li P, Dechaphunkul A, Kumar V, Kamble K, Li W, Kandil A, Cohen EEW, Geng Y, Zografos E, Tang PZ. Afatinib versus methotrexate as second-line treatment in Asian patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck progressing on or after platinum-based therapy (LUX-Head & Neck 3): an open-label, randomised phase III trial. Ann Oncol. 2019 Nov 1;30(11):1831-1839. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdz388.

    PubMed 31501887

  • Burtness B, Haddad R, Dinis J, Trigo J, Yokota T, de Souza Viana L, Romanov I, Vermorken J, Bourhis J, Tahara M, Martins Segalla JG, Psyrri A, Vasilevskaya I, Nangia CS, Chaves-Conde M, Kiyota N, Homma A, Holeckova P, Del Campo JM, Asarawala N, Nicolau UR, Rauch D, Even C, Wang B, Gibson N, Ehrnrooth E, Harrington K, Cohen EEW; LUX-Head & Neck 2 investigators. Afatinib vs Placebo as Adjuvant Therapy After Chemoradiotherapy in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2019 Aug 1;5(8):1170-1180. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.1146.

    PubMed 31194247

  • Machiels JP, Bossi P, Menis J, Lia M, Fortpied C, Liu Y, Lhommel R, Lemort M, Schmitz S, Canevari S, De Cecco L, Guzzo M, Bianchi R, Quattrone P, Crippa F, Duprez T, Lalami Y, Quiriny M, de Saint Aubain N, Clement PM, Coropciuc R, Hauben E, Licitra LF. Activity and safety of afatinib in a window preoperative EORTC study in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Ann Oncol. 2018 Apr 1;29(4):985-991. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdy013.

    PubMed 29346507

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Tislelizumab and Afatinib in people with Head and Neck Cancer, run by West China Hospital at 1 site in China.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 12 inclusion and 19 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 31 Jul 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Major Pathologic Response (time frame: Time of surgery). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05517330, which also lists 14 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 31 Jul 2025.

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