Immune therapy first or with chemoradiotherapy for unresectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell cancer
Official title: Comparing Induced Chemoimmunotherapy Followed By Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy And Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy Followed By Immunotherapy In Unresectable Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Multicenter, Randomized, Phase II Trial
Run by Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital · NCT07733830 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial tests whether giving immunotherapy before chemoradiotherapy is more helpful than starting immunotherapy after chemoradiotherapy in people with unresectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Quick facts
| Phase | Phase 2 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Ages | 18 Years to 75 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 120 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital Academic / other |
| Drugs / interventions | chemotherapy, immunotherapy, prednisone, adebrelimab |
| Locations | 7 sites (Beijing, Beijing Municipality and 6 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | July 31, 2026 |
| Main results expected | December 31, 2027 |
| Study ends | December 31, 2029 |
| Registry record updated | July 29, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07733830 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults 18–75 with unresectable locally advanced ESCC meeting staging criteria and no prior systemic therapy, with adequate organ function and tumor tissue available.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients whose tumors do not respond to immunotherapy or who experience intolerable toxicity may not benefit from this approach.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This Phase 2 trial enrolls 120 patients with unresectable, locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and randomly assigns them to two treatment strategies. In Arm A, two cycles of induction adebrelimab with chemotherapy are followed by chemoradiotherapy, with adebrelimab continued up to disease progression or up to 15 additional cycles. In Arm B, patients receive concurrent chemoradiotherapy with maintenance adebrelimab up to progression or up to 17 cycles. The study aims to compare the effectiveness of immunotherapy during the induction versus maintenance phases of radiotherapy, to refine treatment plans and potentially improve survival. Interventions include adebrelimab, nab-paclitaxel, carboplatin, and radiotherapy. Eligible patients are adults aged 18–75 with specific locally advanced ESCC criteria, ECOG 0–1, no prior systemic therapy, and available tumor tissue.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could improve survival and control of disease by optimizing when immunotherapy is given with radiochemotherapy.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies in similar ESCC settings suggest potential benefit from immunotherapy with chemoradiotherapy, but this exact induction-versus-maintenance comparison is exploratory.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Volunteered to participate, cooperated with follow-up visits, documented informed consent; 2. Aged 18 -75 years, both male and female; 3. Histologically confirmed cT1N2-3M0 or cT2-4bN0-3M0 or cT1-4bN0-3M1( supraclavicular lymph node metastasis) locally advanced ESCC (8th AJCC); clinically staged as II-IVb inoperable locally advanced ESCC (including non-resectable, or with contraindications to or refusal of surgery); 4. Measurable and/or unmeasurable lesions as defined by the criteria for evaluating the efficacy of solid tumors (RECIST1.1) and the Japanese Classification of Esophageal Cancer (12th Edition: Part II); 5. Haven't received any previous systemic anti-tumor therapy (including but not limited to systemic chemotherapy, radiotherapy, molecularly targeted drug therapy, immunotherapy, biologic therapy, topical therapy and other investigational therapeutic agents); 6. ECOG performance status 0 or 1; 7. Provide fresh or archived tumour tissue samples within 6 months (fresh samples preferred) for biomarker analysis (e.g.PD-L1). Sample types are formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded \[FFPE\] tumour tissue blocks or at least 5 unstained, 3-5 μm thick FFPE tumour tissue sections; 8. Expected survival ≥ 3 months; 9. Adequate hematologic function, defined as ANC ≥1500/μl, platelet count ≥100,000/μl and hemoglobin count ≥9.0 g/dl or ≥5.6 mmol/l; Adequate renal function, defined as creatinine ≤1.5× ULN or measured or calculated creatinine clearance ≥60 mL/min for those with creatinine levels \>1.5× ULN (Calculated from the Cockcroft-Gault formula); Adequate hepatic function, defined as total bilirubin ≤1.5× ULN and ALT/AST/AKP levels ≤2.5× ULN and albumin ≥2.8 g/dl; Adequate coagulation function, defined as INR ≤1.5× ULN and APTT≤1.5× ULN unless the patient is receiving anticoagulant therapy as long as INR is within the therapeutic range; 10. Women of childbearing potential with a negative urine pregnancy test within 3 days before the first administration of the investigational drugs. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Surgery for esophageal cancer; 2. Esophageal fistulae due to infiltration of the primary tumour; 3. Risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, oesophageal fistula or oesophageal perforation 4. Poor nutritional status, weight loss of ≥10% in the previous 2 months, with no significant improvement after nutritional intervention; 5. Major surgery or severe trauma within 4 weeks prior to first use of study drug; 6. Uncontrollable pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, or ascites that requires repeated drainage; 7. Received or receiving any of the following treatments in the past: 1. Anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibody therapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or targeted therapy; 2. Participation in a study of an investigational agent or device within 4 weeks before the first dose of study treatment; 3. Systemic treatment with corticosteroids (\>10 mg prednisone equivalent dose per day) or other immunosuppressive agents is required for 2 weeks before the first dose of study treatment(except for the use of corticosteroids for local inflammation of the oesophagus and for the prevention of allergy and nausea and vomiting). Other special circumstances need to be communicated to the sponsor.Inhaled or topical steroids and adrenocorticotropic hormone replacement at doses \>10mg/day prednisone efficacy dose are permitted if the patient does not have active autoimmune disease; 4. Received an anti-tumour vaccine or received a live vaccine within 4 weeks before the first dose of study treatment; 8. Any active autoimmune disease or history of autoimmune disease (e.g., interstitial pneumonitis, uveitis, enteritis, hepatitis, pituitary gland inflammation, vasculitis, myocarditis, nephritis, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism);Except for patients with vitiligo or those who had asthma or allergies in childhood but did not need any intervention as adults; patients with autoimmune-mediated hypothyroidism treated with stable doses of thyroid replacement hormone and type I diabetes mellitus treated with stable doses of insulin may be included; 9. Diagnosis of immunodeficiency, including positive HIV test,other acquired/congenital immunodeficiency diseases, organ transplantation and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation; 10. Diagnosis of uncontrolled cardiac clinical symptoms or disease such as a.NYHA II or above heart failure b.unstable angina c.myocardial infarction within 1 year d.clinically significant supraventricular or ventricular arrhythmias requiring clinical intervention; 11. Severe infections (CTCAE \> Grade 2), such as severe pneumonia requiring hospitalisation, bacteraemia, infectious co-morbidities, etc., within 4 weeks before the first use of study treatment; Baseline chest imaging suggestive of active lung inflammation, signs and symptoms of infection requiring oral or intravenous antibiotic treatment within 2 weeks before the first use of study treatment, except for prophylactic antibiotic use; 12. History of interstitial lung disease or non-infectious pneumonia, or pulmonary insufficiency ≥ grade 3 as confirmed by pulmonary function tests; 13. Active tuberculosis infection detected by history or CT examination, or history of active tuberculosis infection within 1 year before enrollment or more than 1 year previously without regular treatment; 14. Presence of active hepatitis B (HBV DNA ≥ 2000 IU/mL or 104 copies/mL), hepatitis C (hepatitis C antibody positive and HCV-RNA above the lower limit of detection); 15. Presence of abnormal sodium, potassium, and calcium laboratory test values greater than Grade 1 within 2 weeks prior to randomisation that do not improve with treatment; 16. Known hypersensitivity to large protein preparations, or to any of the components of nab-paclitaxel or carboplatin or to any of the components used within their preparations; 17. Any other malignant tumor was diagnosed before the first use of the study drug, except for malignant tumors with a low risk of metastasis and death (5-year survival rate \> 90%), such as well-treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or cervical carcinoma in situ; 18. Pregnant or lactating patients; 19. After the researchers' judgment, the subjects have other factors that may force them to terminate the study halfway, such as suffering from other serious diseases (including mental disorders) that require combined treatment, having other serious diseases recently (such as myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident) that are considered to have a high risk of recurrence, severely abnormal laboratory test values, family or social factors. Situations that may affect the safety of the subjects or the collection of experimental data.
Where it's running
-
Beijing Cancer Hospital
Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China Recruiting -
National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China Recruiting -
Henan Cancer Hospital
Zhengzhou, Hanan, China Recruiting -
Liaoning Cancer Hospital
Shenyang, Liaoning, China Recruiting -
Shanxi Cancer Hospital
Taiyuan, Shanxi, China Recruiting -
Sichuan Cancer Hospital
Chengdu, Sichuan, China Recruiting
Show 1 more location
-
Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital
Tianjin, Tianjin Municipality, China Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Wencheng Zhang, MD — Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital
- Study coordinator: Wencheng Zhang, MD
- Email: wczhang@tmu.edu.cn
- Phone: 02223340123
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
PF-08098488 in adults with advanced solid tumors
This study tests PF-08098488 in adults whose cancer has progressed or returned after prior treatment.
-
Modular Robot-Assisted Esophagectomy vs. Conventional Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer
This trial tests whether modular robotic-assisted esophagectomy using the Carina platform works better than conventional 3D thoracoscopic esophagectomy for people with resectable esophageal cancer.
-
MGC030 in adults with advanced solid tumors
This trial tests MGC030 in adults with advanced urothelial, gastric/GEJ, esophageal, colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, or GEJ cancers to see if it is safe and whether it can shrink tumors or stop growth.
-
Adding 2141-V11 to standard therapy for advanced esophageal, gastric, or gastroesophageal junction cancer
This study tests whether adding the drug 2141-V11 to standard anti-PD-1 therapy (with or without 5-FU) is safe for adults with advanced or metastatic esophageal, gastric, or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.
-
TS-104: a first-in-human, dose-escalation study for advanced solid tumors
This study tests TS-104, a peptide-drug conjugate, as a single therapy in adults with advanced solid tumors like NSCLC, HNSCC, esophageal, gastric, ovarian, or endometrial cancer to see if it is safe and tolerable and whether it shows any benefit.
-
First-in-human STRO-006 in adults with certain recurrent or metastatic solid tumors
This study tests STRO-006 alone and with pembrolizumab in adults with certain head and neck, lung, esophageal, gastric, colorectal cancers to see if it is safe and shows early anticancer activity.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.