Low-dose Radiation Combined With Neoadjuvant Immunochemotherapy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Phase 2

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Interventions: Drug: Tislelizumab; Radiation: Low-dose radiotherapy; Drug: Nab-paclitaxel; Drug: Cisplatin

• Registration Number: NCT06446726
• Lead Sponsor: Sichuan University

Brief Summary

This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of low-dose radiation combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. By reducing the radiation dose from 40 Gy in 20 fractions to 4 Gy in 2 fractions, the goal is to lessen the adverse reactions caused by radiothe...

Detailed Description

According to 2020 GLOBOCAN data, esophageal cancer ranks fifth in incidence among all malignant tumors in China, with new cases reaching 324,000 and annual deaths at 301,000. These figures indicate a significant burden of esophageal cancer in China, accounting for 55% of esophageal cancer cases globally. Unlike in Western countries, most esophageal cancer pa...

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2024-05-16
• Status Verified: 2024-06
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-06-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-06-04
• Study First Posted: 2024-06-06
• Last Update Posted: 2024-06-06
• Study Start: 2024-06-30
• Primary Completion: 2025-01-30
• Study Completion: 2026-12-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 30

Inclusion Criteria

1. Histologically confirmed thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with clinical staging of: cT1b-cT2 N1-2 M0 or cT3-cT4a N0-2 M0 (AJCC/UICC esophageal cancer staging, 8th edition)
2. Candidates eligible for an R0 curative resection
3. ECOG performance status of 0-1
4. Male or female patients aged ≥18 years and ≤75 years
5. Adequate major organ and bone marrow function (without transfusion or medication correction): Complete blood count: White blood cells ≥ 3.5×10^9/L, Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) ≥1.5 ×10^9/L, Platelets ≥100×10^9/L, Hemoglobin ≥9g/dL
6. Radiation oncologist assessment confirms no severe pulmonary ventilatory dysfunction and no acute cardiac failure. (Pulmonary function: FEV1/FVC≥70%, FEV1≥50% of the normal value, DLCO (lung diffusion capacity) actual versus predicted value >80%)
7. Liver function: Total bilirubin ≤1.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤2.5 times ULN, Serum albumin ≥3g/dL
8. Renal function: Serum creatinine ≤1.5×ULN, or creatinine clearance ≥ 60ml/min (calculated using the Cockcroft/Gault formula): Female: CrCl = (140 - age) x weight (kg) x 0.85 / 72 x serum creatinine (mg/dL) Male: CrCl = (140 - age) x weight (kg) x 1.00 / 72 x serum creatinine (mg/dL)
9. Study participants voluntarily join the study and sign a written informed consent form, and are able to comply with the protocol-specified visits and related procedures
10. Expected survival >6 months
11. Patients agree to undergo surgical treatment as well as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy
12. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test within 7 days prior to the initiation of treatment; all participants, regardless of gender, are willing to use appropriate contraceptive methods during the trial and for 8 weeks after the last dose of study medication
13. No esophageal perforation or active esophageal bleeding, and no tracheal or major thoracic vascular invasion
14. According to the solid tumor response evaluation criteria (RECIST version 1.1), at least one measurable lesion by imaging

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Exclusion Criteria

1. Patients who are unsuitable for the immunotherapy and chemotherapy specified in the protocol
2. Patients with a history of treatment for ESCC, including experimental drugs, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or therapies targeting T-cell co-stimulation checkpoint pathways such as anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2 antibodies or drugs
3. Patients with a history of primary tumor infiltration causing fistula
4. Patients assessed as having a high risk of fistula or signs of perforation
5. Patients who have required systemic corticosteroid treatment (prednisone > 10 mg/day or equivalent dosage) or other immunosuppressive therapies within 14 days prior to the first administration. However, use of adrenocortical replacement steroids (prednisone ≤ 10 mg/day or equivalent) and minimal systemic absorption of topical, ocular, intra-articular, nasal, and inhaled corticosteroids, as well as short-term (≤ 7 days) use of corticosteroids for non-autoimmune conditions are allowed (dexamethasone can be used for paclitaxel pre-treatment)
6. Patients with active autoimmune diseases or a history of autoimmune diseases that might recur. However, participants with well-controlled type 1 diabetes, hypothyroidism requiring only hormone replacement, well-controlled celiac disease, and non-systemic treated skin conditions like vitiligo, psoriasis, or alopecia, or conditions not likely to recur without an external trigger are eligible
7. Patients with a history of interstitial lung disease, non-infectious pneumonia, or poorly controlled pulmonary diseases including pulmonary fibrosis or acute lung diseases
8. Patients needing systemic antibacterial, antifungal, or antiviral treatment for infections such as tuberculosis. Patients who have had a severe infection including but not limited to hospitalization-required complications, bacteremia, or severe infectious pneumonia within 4 weeks before the first administration, or those who have received therapeutic oral or intravenous antibiotics within 2 weeks before the first administration
9. Patients with a history of allogeneic organ transplant (excluding corneal transplant) or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant
10. Patients known to be allergic to the study drug tiragolumab, or to the active ingredients or excipients in the combined chemotherapy drugs
11. Patients with significant and severely symptomatic rhythm, conduction, or morphological abnormalities on a resting electrocardiogram, such as complete left bundle branch block, second-degree or higher heart block, ventricular arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation; unstable angina, congestive heart failure, or chronic heart failure with an NYHA classification of ≥ 2

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
neoadjuvant low-dose radiotherapy and immunochemotherapy group	Nab-paclitaxel	During the neoadjuvant treatment phase, patients will undergo two cycles of low-dose radiotherapy, combined with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, each cycle lasting 21 days. The specific treatment protocol is as follows: D1/2: Low-dose radiotherapy (4 Gy/2f) D3: Tislelizumab, fixed dose of 200 mg; Nab-paclitaxel 260 mg/m2; Cisplatin 75 mg/m2. The interval between radiotherapy and chemotherapy should not exceed 3 days. Drug infusions follow the sequence of tislelizumab → nab-paclitaxel → cisplatin/carboplatin, with at least a 30-minute interval between each infusion. At the end of the neoadjuvant treatment, patients will undergo surgical treatment 6-8 weeks after the last treatment session.
neoadjuvant low-dose radiotherapy and immunochemotherapy group	Tislelizumab	During the neoadjuvant treatment phase, patients will undergo two cycles of low-dose radiotherapy, combined with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, each cycle lasting 21 days. The specific treatment protocol is as follows: D1/2: Low-dose radiotherapy (4 Gy/2f) D3: Tislelizumab, fixed dose of 200 mg; Nab-paclitaxel 260 mg/m2; Cisplatin 75 mg/m2. The interval between radiotherapy and chemotherapy should not exceed 3 days. Drug infusions follow the sequence of tislelizumab → nab-paclitaxel → cisplatin/carboplatin, with at least a 30-minute interval between each infusion. At the end of the neoadjuvant treatment, patients will undergo surgical treatment 6-8 weeks after the last treatment session.
neoadjuvant low-dose radiotherapy and immunochemotherapy group	Low-dose radiotherapy	During the neoadjuvant treatment phase, patients will undergo two cycles of low-dose radiotherapy, combined with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, each cycle lasting 21 days. The specific treatment protocol is as follows: D1/2: Low-dose radiotherapy (4 Gy/2f) D3: Tislelizumab, fixed dose of 200 mg; Nab-paclitaxel 260 mg/m2; Cisplatin 75 mg/m2. The interval between radiotherapy and chemotherapy should not exceed 3 days. Drug infusions follow the sequence of tislelizumab → nab-paclitaxel → cisplatin/carboplatin, with at least a 30-minute interval between each infusion. At the end of the neoadjuvant treatment, patients will undergo surgical treatment 6-8 weeks after the last treatment session.
neoadjuvant low-dose radiotherapy and immunochemotherapy group	Cisplatin	During the neoadjuvant treatment phase, patients will undergo two cycles of low-dose radiotherapy, combined with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, each cycle lasting 21 days. The specific treatment protocol is as follows: D1/2: Low-dose radiotherapy (4 Gy/2f) D3: Tislelizumab, fixed dose of 200 mg; Nab-paclitaxel 260 mg/m2; Cisplatin 75 mg/m2. The interval between radiotherapy and chemotherapy should not exceed 3 days. Drug infusions follow the sequence of tislelizumab → nab-paclitaxel → cisplatin/carboplatin, with at least a 30-minute interval between each infusion. At the end of the neoadjuvant treatment, patients will undergo surgical treatment 6-8 weeks after the last treatment session.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Pathologic complete response	Immediately after the surgery	The proportion of subjects with 0% of surviving tumor cells remaining in the primary tumor and in the sampled lymph nodes as evaluated by histology.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
R0 rate	During the surgery	Intraoperative evaluation
Overall Response Rate	Immediately after the surgery	Complete response (CR) + partial response (PR) was evaluated by RECIST 1.1 criteria
Major pathological response	Immediately after the surgery	Complete response (CR) + partial response (PR) was evaluated by RECIST 1.1 criteria Complete response (CR) + partial response (PR) was evaluated by RECIST 1.1 criteria Complete response (CR) + partial response (PR) was evaluated by RECIST 1.1 criteria
1/2 year event-free survival	2 years	The time of enrollment (i.e., signing the ICF) until the following events: any disease progression resulting in surgery not being performed, disease progression or recurrence after surgery, disease progression in patients without surgery, or death from any cause