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Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell CarcinomaPhase 2NCT07371234

Low-Dose Radiotherapy and Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy as Neoadjuvant Treatment for Resectable Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

A Phase 2 study testing Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Immunotherapy, Low-dose radiotherapy and Surgery in people with Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, run by Rui You at 1 site in China.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Over 60% of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients are diagnosed at a locally advanced stage. While standard treatments involve surgery and chemoradiotherapy, prognosis remains poor, with 50-60% experiencing local recurrence within two years. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 75 years
What is being tested?
Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Immunotherapy, Low-dose radiotherapy and Surgery
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
22 participants
Where
1 siteChina
Study dates
15 Dec 2025to 30 Dec 2028
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Voluntarily sign and date the informed consent form.
  • Untreated, histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx) with CPS ≥1, classified as stage T3-4bN0M0 or T1-4bN1-3M0, corresponding to stage III-IVB according to the AJCC Staging System, 8th Edition.
  • Deemed eligible for curative surgery based on surgeon's assessment.
  • Age: 18 to 75 years.
  • ECOG performance status of 0 or 1.
  • Life expectancy greater than 6 months.
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  • At least one measurable lesion as per RECIST 1.1 criteria.
  • Adequate organ function, defined as meeting all the following criteria (without receipt of blood products, colony-stimulating factors, or hematopoietic growth factors within 14 days prior to testing): Hemoglobin ≥ 90 g/L Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L Platelet count ≥ 100 × 10⁹/L Serum albumin ≥ 28 g/L Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN) ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 × ULN Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 × ULN or creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and international normalized ratio (INR) ≤ 1.5 × ULN (patients on a stable dose of anticoagulant therapy such as low molecular weight heparin or warfarin are eligible if INR is within the therapeutic range) Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) ≤ ULN; if abnormal, T3 and T4 levels must be evaluated, and patients with normal T3 and T4 levels are eligible.
  • Women of childbearing potential must agree to use effective contraception (e.g., intrauterine device, oral contraceptives, or condoms) during the treatment period and for 3 months after the last dose.
  • Good compliance with the study protocol.

Who cannot join

  • Pregnant or lactating women.
  • History of allergy to PD-1 inhibitors.
  • History of other malignancies within the past 5 years or at the time of enrollment, with the exception of cured basal cell carcinoma of the skin, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, and papillary thyroid carcinoma.
  • Uncontrolled cardiac clinical symptoms or diseases, such as: (1) heart failure of NYHA Class II or higher, (2) unstable angina, (3) myocardial infarction within the past year, and (4) patients with clinically significant ventricular or supraventricular arrhythmias requiring intervention.
  • Any of the following prior treatments: ① Receipt of any investigational drug prior to the first dose of the current study drug. ② Concurrent participation in another clinical study, unless it is an observational (non-interventional) study or an interventional study during the follow-up phase. ③ Systemic treatment with corticosteroids (>10 mg prednisone daily or equivalent) or other immunosuppressive agents within 2 weeks prior to the first dose of the study drug, with the exception of topical corticosteroid use for local inflammation, prevention of allergic reactions, or management of nausea and vomiting. Inhaled or topical steroids and physiologic replacement doses of corticosteroids (≤10 mg prednisone equivalent daily) are permitted in the absence of active autoimmune disease. ④ Administration of live vaccines within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of the study drug. ⑤ Major surgery or severe trauma within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of the study drug.
  • Severe infection (Grade >2 according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events), such as severe pneumonia, bacteremia, or complicating infections requiring hospitalization, occurring within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of the study drug; or active pulmonary inflammation or signs/symptoms of infection indicated by baseline chest imaging within 2 weeks prior to the first dose, or requiring oral or intravenous antibiotic treatment (excluding prophylactic antibiotics).
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  • History of active autoimmune diseases and syndromes (including but not limited to interstitial pneumonia, colitis, hepatitis, hypophysitis, vasculitis, nephritis, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism). Patients with vitiligo not requiring intervention in adulthood, or childhood asthma/allergies that have resolved, are not excluded.
  • History of immunodeficiency, including HIV positivity, other acquired or congenital immunodeficiency diseases, or history of organ or bone marrow transplantation.
  • Patients with active tuberculosis infection based on medical history or CT findings, or a history of active tuberculosis infection within 1 year prior to enrollment, or a history of active tuberculosis infection more than 1 year ago without adequate course of anti-tuberculosis therapy.
  • Active hepatitis B (HBV DNA ≥ 2,000 IU/mL or 10,000 copies/mL) or hepatitis C (positive HCV antibody test with HCV RNA above the lower limit of detection).
  • Known history of substance abuse, alcohol abuse, or drug use.
  • Considered ineligible for participation based on the investigator's judgment.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Xiaoting Cai, MD contact

86-15602268126

caixiaoting17@163.com

China1 site, 1 recruiting
  • The Fifth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University

    Guangdong

    Recruiting

Other trials in China

About this study

Official title: A Single Arm, Phase II Clinical Study of Low-Dose Radiotherapy Combined With Anti-PD-1 Monoclonal Antibody Immunotherapy as Neoadjuvant Treatment for Surgically Resectable, Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC)

Over 60% of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients are diagnosed at a locally advanced stage. While standard treatments involve surgery and chemoradiotherapy, prognosis remains poor, with 50-60% experiencing local recurrence within two years. Neoadjuvant therapy can potentially reduce tumor burden, preserve organs, and lower distant metastasis risk. Despite the KEYNOTE-689 trial showing that adjuvant two-cycle pembrolizumab increased major pathological response to 9.8% in stage III-IVB HNSCC, this result remains insufficient. More effective immunotherapy-based combinations are urgently needed to improve long-term survival after neoadjuvant treatment.

Preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that low-dose radiotherapy can activate the tumor immune microenvironment and synergize with immunotherapy. Based on this rationale, the present clinical trial will evaluate a neoadjuvant regimen combining LDRT with two cycles of an anti-PD-1 inhibitor in patients with surgically resectable, locally advanced HNSCC.

Being tested
Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Immunotherapy, Low-dose radiotherapy, Surgery, Adjuvant Radiotherapy, Adjuvant Cisplatin
Keywords
low-dose radiotherapy, neoadjuvant immunotherapy, Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

What participants receive

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

  • Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant ImmunotherapyDrug

    Neoadjuvant therapy with Toripalimab (240mg, Day 1, Q3W, 2 cycles);Adjuvant immunotherapy with Toripalimab (240mg, Day 1, Q3W, for a total of 15 cycles).

  • Low-dose radiotherapyRadiation

    Low-dose radiotherapy (1 Gy/fraction, on Days 1, 8, and 15 of each cycle, Q3W, for 2 cycles; total dose: 6 Gy in 6 fractions).

  • SurgeryProcedure or surgery

    Radical surgery performed 3-4 weeks after neoadjuvant therapy, following a re-evaluation of surgical indications by the surgeon.

  • Adjuvant RadiotherapyRadiation

    Low-risk group: 60 Gy in 30 fractions, using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT); High-risk group: 66 Gy in 33 fractions, or 70 Gy in 35 fractions for residual lesions, using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

  • Adjuvant CisplatinDrug

    High-risk group:Cisplatin 100 mg/m² is administered via intravenous infusion on Day 1 of every 21-day cycle during radiotherapy, for a total of 3 cycles.

Study groups in NCT07371234
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Low-Dose RT plus Anti-PD-1 Imunotherapy ArmExperimentalPatients receive low-dose radiotherapy combined with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody immunotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment prior to surgical resection.
Receives: Drug: Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Immunotherapy; Radiation: Low-dose radiotherapy; Procedure: Surgery; Radiation: Adjuvant Radiotherapy; Drug: Adjuvant Cisplatin

What is being measured

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

  1. Main pathological response rate

    The proportion of patients with residual living tumor cells in the tumor bed under microscopy after HE staining of the specimens organized is less than 10%.

    Measured: 1 week post-surgery

Secondary outcomes (10)
  1. Progression-free survival

    From random grouping to the time interval until tumor progression or death for any reason, or until the last follow-up time if there is no tumor progression.

    Measured: 2 years after enrollment treatment

  2. Pathological complete response rate

    The proportion of patients with no residual live tumor cells under the microscope.

    Measured: 1 week post-surgery

  3. Objective response rate

    Evaluate the proportion of patients with objective response (complete response and partial response) through imaging assessments such as MRI and CT.

    Measured: 3-4 weeks after neoadjuvant therapy

  4. Overall survival

    The time interval from random grouping to the time of death for any reason, or to the last follow-up time if there is no death.

    Measured: 2 years after enrollment treatment

  5. Adverse Events Reporting

    Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v5.0

    Measured: 1 year

  6. Head and Neck Cancer-Specific Quality of Life

    Changes from baseline in head and neck cancer-specific symptoms and functions were assessed using the EORTC QLQ-H\&N35 module (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, Head and Neck Cancer Module). The scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a better quality of life outcome and lower scores indicating worse symptoms or functions.

    Measured: 1 year

  7. Health-related Quality of Life

    Changes from baseline in patient-reported quality of life were assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, Version 3.0). The scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a better quality of life outcome and lower scores indicating worse symptoms or functions.

    Measured: 1 year

  8. Pathological tumor remission rate -2

    The proportion of patients with tumor necrosis under a microscope, where the ratio of keratin fragments and giant cells/tissue cells in tissue sections is not less than 50%.

    Measured: 1 week post-surgery

  9. Non-surgical delay rate

    The proportion of patients whose surgical time is more than 4 weeks longer than planned.

    Measured: 8 weeks after two cycles of neoadjuvant therapy

  10. R0 resection rate

    The proportion of patients who achieved R0 resection (where the tumor is completely excised during surgery and the margin tissue pathology is negative) among all patients who underwent surgical resection.

    Measured: 1 week post-surgery

Timeline

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

  1. First posted27 Jan 2026
  2. Study start15 Dec 2025
  3. Primary completion15 Jan 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Dec 2028 (estimated)

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
22 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07371234
Sponsor's protocol ID
ZDWY.FSZLK.011
Status last verified
Jan 2026
First submitted
19 Jan 2026
Last updated
1 Sep 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Immunotherapy, Low-dose radiotherapy and Surgery in people with Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, run by Rui You 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 10 inclusion and 12 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Sep 2026. 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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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

Contact Xiaoting Cai, MD (86-15602268126, caixiaoting17@163.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Main pathological response rate (time frame: 1 week post-surgery). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 1 Sep 2026.

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