NCT06281886

Brief Summary

This is an open-label, randomized, controlled phase II study evaluating induction immuno-chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy with or without apatinib in unresectable, locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Trial Health

75
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
170

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for phase_2

Timeline
7mo left

Started Dec 2023

Typical duration for phase_2

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
active not recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress81%
Dec 2023Dec 2026

Study Start

First participant enrolled

December 1, 2023

Completed
2 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 13, 2024

Completed
15 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 28, 2024

Completed
2.8 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 1, 2026

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2026

Last Updated

November 17, 2025

Status Verified

November 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

3 years

First QC Date

February 13, 2024

Last Update Submit

November 13, 2025

Conditions

Keywords

Unresectable Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell CarcinomaInduction immuno-chemotherapyConcurrent chemoradiotherapyApatinibSurvival outcomesToxicity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Progression free survival rate

    From the first day of treatment to the day of progression or the day of death.

    1 year

Secondary Outcomes (6)

  • Overall survival

    1 year

  • Objective response rate

    1 year

  • Local-regional progression-free survival

    1 year

  • Incidence of Treatment-related Adverse Events

    1 year

  • Score of Quality of Life Questionnare-Core 30 (The European Organization for Reasearch and Treatment of Cancer)

    1 year

  • +1 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

The study group

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients are planned to receive 2 cycles of induction immuno-chemotherapy plus apatinib, followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy plus apatinib.

Drug: Induction Immunotherapy-ToripalimabDrug: Induction Chemotherapy-Albumin-paclitaxel combined with cisplatinRadiation: RadiotherapyDrug: ApatinibDrug: Capecitabine

The control group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Patients are planned to receive 2 cycles of induction immuno-chemotherapy, followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Drug: Induction Immunotherapy-ToripalimabDrug: Induction Chemotherapy-Albumin-paclitaxel combined with cisplatinRadiation: RadiotherapyDrug: Capecitabine

Interventions

Toripalimab 240mg iv. drip, Q3W, 2 cycles

The control groupThe study group

Albumin-paclitaxel 260 mg/m2, administered on day 1, combined with cisplatin 25 mg/m2, administered on day 1,2,3.

The control groupThe study group
RadiotherapyRADIATION

Thoracic radiotherapy at a total dose of 50Gy was delivered using the intensity modulated radiation therapy technique.

The control groupThe study group

Oral apatinib 250mg once daily during induction therapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

The study group

Oral capecitabine 1000 mg/m2, twice daily, on days 1-14, every 3 weeks, concurrently with radiotherapy

Also known as: Chemotherapy concurrently with radiotherapy
The control groupThe study group

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 80 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through pathological examination or cytological examination;
  • Evaluated as locally advanced esophageal cancer that is unresectable through endoscopic ultrasound, imaging studies including barium swallow, CT scans of the neck, chest, and upper abdomen, MR imaging of the neck and chest, whole-body bone scan, or PET/CT, with staging ranging from T2-4, N0-3, M0-1 (M1 only includes patients with supraclavicular lymph node metastasis);
  • Male or female aged between 18 and 80 years old;
  • No prior chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy;
  • Expected survival of ≥12 weeks;
  • ECOG performance status score of 0 or 1;
  • Organ and bone marrow function meeting the following criteria: forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) ≥800 ml; absolute neutrophil count ≥1.5×109/L; platelet count ≥100×109/L; hemoglobin ≥90 g/L; serum creatinine clearance calculated according to the Cockcroft-Gault formula ≥50 mL/min (Cockcroft and Gault 1976); serum bilirubin ≤1.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN); aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase ≤2.5 times ULN;
  • Signed and dated informed consent form is required before any study procedures are performed.

You may not qualify if:

  • Participating in another clinical study concurrently, unless it is an observational (non-interventional) clinical study;
  • Prior use of any targeted therapy or immunotherapy;
  • Underwent major surgery (excluding vascular access) within 4 weeks before entering the study;
  • Uncontrolled complications, including but not limited to persistent or active infections, symptomatic congestive heart failure, poorly controlled hypertension, unstable angina, arrhythmias, active peptic ulcer disease or gastritis, intestinal perforation, intestinal obstruction, active bleeding disorders, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements or impair the ability to provide written informed consent;
  • Performance status score of 2-4;
  • Any of the following organ and bone marrow dysfunctions: forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) \<1000ml; absolute neutrophil count \<1.5×109/L; platelet count \<100×109/L; hemoglobin \<90 g/L; serum creatinine clearance calculated according to the Cockcroft-Gault formula \<50 mL/min (Cockcroft and Gault 1976); serum bilirubin \>1.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN); aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase \>2.5 times ULN;
  • Conditions that may interfere with the assessment of the efficacy or safety of apatinib;
  • Use of immunosuppressive drugs within 28 days before the first infusion of trastuzumab, excluding physiologic doses of inhaled corticosteroids; or systemic corticosteroids ≤10 mg/d of prednisone or equivalent;
  • History of autoimmune diseases within the past 2 years;
  • History of active or inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis);
  • History of organ transplantation requiring immunosuppressive therapy;
  • Receipt of attenuated live vaccines within 30 days before the study initiation or within 30 days after receiving trastuzumab;
  • History of another primary malignancy within 5 years before starting trastuzumab, except adequately treated basal or squamous cell skin cancer or in situ cervical cancer;
  • Pregnant or lactating females; or sexually active males or females of reproductive potential not using effective contraception methods.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Sun yat-sen University Cancer Center

Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, China

Location

Related Publications (15)

  • Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, Laversanne M, Soerjomataram I, Jemal A, Bray F. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2021 May;71(3):209-249. doi: 10.3322/caac.21660. Epub 2021 Feb 4.

    PMID: 33538338BACKGROUND
  • Cooper JS, Guo MD, Herskovic A, Macdonald JS, Martenson JA Jr, Al-Sarraf M, Byhardt R, Russell AH, Beitler JJ, Spencer S, Asbell SO, Graham MV, Leichman LL. Chemoradiotherapy of locally advanced esophageal cancer: long-term follow-up of a prospective randomized trial (RTOG 85-01). Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. JAMA. 1999 May 5;281(17):1623-7. doi: 10.1001/jama.281.17.1623.

    PMID: 10235156BACKGROUND
  • Minsky BD, Pajak TF, Ginsberg RJ, Pisansky TM, Martenson J, Komaki R, Okawara G, Rosenthal SA, Kelsen DP. INT 0123 (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 94-05) phase III trial of combined-modality therapy for esophageal cancer: high-dose versus standard-dose radiation therapy. J Clin Oncol. 2002 Mar 1;20(5):1167-74. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2002.20.5.1167.

    PMID: 11870157BACKGROUND
  • Xu Y, Dong B, Zhu W, Li J, Huang R, Sun Z, Yang X, Liu L, He H, Liao Z, Guan N, Kong Y, Wang W, Chen J, He H, Qiu G, Zeng M, Pu J, Hu W, Bao Y, Liu Z, Ma J, Jiang H, Du X, Hu J, Zhuang T, Cai J, Huang J, Tao H, Liu Y, Liang X, Zhou J, Tao G, Zheng X, Chen M. A Phase III Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of 60 Gy versus 50 Gy Radiation Dose in Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Inoperable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2022 May 2;28(9):1792-1799. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-3843.

    PMID: 35190815BACKGROUND
  • Conroy T, Galais MP, Raoul JL, Bouche O, Gourgou-Bourgade S, Douillard JY, Etienne PL, Boige V, Martel-Lafay I, Michel P, Llacer-Moscardo C, Francois E, Crehange G, Abdelghani MB, Juzyna B, Bedenne L, Adenis A; Federation Francophone de Cancerologie Digestive and UNICANCER-GI Group. Definitive chemoradiotherapy with FOLFOX versus fluorouracil and cisplatin in patients with oesophageal cancer (PRODIGE5/ACCORD17): final results of a randomised, phase 2/3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2014 Mar;15(3):305-14. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(14)70028-2. Epub 2014 Feb 18.

    PMID: 24556041BACKGROUND
  • Hulshof MCCM, Geijsen ED, Rozema T, Oppedijk V, Buijsen J, Neelis KJ, Nuyttens JJME, van der Sangen MJC, Jeene PM, Reinders JG, van Berge Henegouwen MI, Thano A, van Hooft JE, van Laarhoven HWM, van der Gaast A. Randomized Study on Dose Escalation in Definitive Chemoradiation for Patients With Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer (ARTDECO Study). J Clin Oncol. 2021 Sep 1;39(25):2816-2824. doi: 10.1200/JCO.20.03697. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

    PMID: 34101496BACKGROUND
  • Suntharalingam M, Winter K, Ilson D, Dicker AP, Kachnic L, Konski A, Chakravarthy AB, Anker CJ, Thakrar H, Horiba N, Dubey A, Greenberger JS, Raben A, Giguere J, Roof K, Videtic G, Pollock J, Safran H, Crane CH. Effect of the Addition of Cetuximab to Paclitaxel, Cisplatin, and Radiation Therapy for Patients With Esophageal Cancer: The NRG Oncology RTOG 0436 Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2017 Nov 1;3(11):1520-1528. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2017.1598.

    PMID: 28687830BACKGROUND
  • Shinoda M, Ando N, Kato K, Ishikura S, Kato H, Tsubosa Y, Minashi K, Okabe H, Kimura Y, Kawano T, Kosugi S, Toh Y, Nakamura K, Fukuda H; Japan Clinical Oncology Group. Randomized study of low-dose versus standard-dose chemoradiotherapy for unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (JCOG0303). Cancer Sci. 2015 Apr;106(4):407-12. doi: 10.1111/cas.12622. Epub 2015 Mar 9.

    PMID: 25640628BACKGROUND
  • Zhu Y, Wen J, Li Q, Chen B, Zhao L, Liu S, Yang Y, Wang S, Lv Y, Li J, Zhang L, Hu Y, Liu M, Xi M. Toripalimab combined with definitive chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (EC-CRT-001): a single-arm, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2023 Apr;24(4):371-382. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00060-8.

    PMID: 36990609BACKGROUND
  • Wang J, Yu JP, Wang JL, Ni XC, Sun ZQ, Sun W, Nie B, Jiang JT, Sun SP, Wu CP. [Pathologic response and changes of serum VEGF during chemoradiotherapy may predict prognosis in non-surgical patients with esophageal carcinoma]. Zhonghua Zhong Liu Za Zhi. 2016 Aug;38(8):589-95. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-3766.2016.08.005. Chinese.

    PMID: 27531478BACKGROUND
  • Chu L, Chen Y, Liu Q, Liang F, Wang S, Liu Q, Yu H, Wu X, Zhang J, Deng J, Ai D, Zhu Z, Nie Y, Zhao K. A Phase II Study of Apatinib in Patients with Chemotherapy-Refractory Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESO-Shanghai 11). Oncologist. 2021 Jun;26(6):e925-e935. doi: 10.1002/onco.13668. Epub 2021 Feb 1.

    PMID: 33393167BACKGROUND
  • Meng X, Wu T, Hong Y, Fan Q, Ren Z, Guo Y, Yang X, Shi P, Yang J, Yin X, Luo Z, Xia J, Zhou Y, Xu M, Liu E, Jiang G, Li S, Zhao F, Ma C, Ma C, Hou Z, Li J, Wang J, Wang F. Camrelizumab plus apatinib as second-line treatment for advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (CAP 02): a single-arm, open-label, phase 2 trial. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 Mar;7(3):245-253. doi: 10.1016/S2468-1253(21)00378-2. Epub 2022 Jan 6.

    PMID: 34998471BACKGROUND
  • Chi D, Chen B, Guo S, Bai K, Ma H, Hu Y, Li Q, Zhu Y. Oral maintenance therapy using apatinib combined with S-1/capecitabine for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with residual disease after definitive chemoradiotherapy. Aging (Albany NY). 2021 Mar 10;13(6):8408-8420. doi: 10.18632/aging.202652. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

    PMID: 33713398BACKGROUND
  • Hu L, Sun F, Sun Z, Ni X, Wang J, Wang J, Zhou M, Feng Y, Kong Z, Hua Q, Yu J. Apatinib enhances the radiosensitivity of the esophageal cancer cell line KYSE-150 by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle redistribution. Oncol Lett. 2019 Feb;17(2):1609-1616. doi: 10.3892/ol.2018.9803. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

    PMID: 30675220BACKGROUND
  • Hu L, Kong Z, Meng Q, Wang J, Zhou M, Yu J, Jiang X. The Safety and Efficacy of Apatinib Treatment in Addition to Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Patients with Nonoperative Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Med Sci Monit. 2020 Nov 27;26:e927221. doi: 10.12659/MSM.927221.

    PMID: 33243967BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Interventions

CisplatinRadiotherapyapatinibCapecitabine

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Carcinoma, Squamous CellCarcinomaNeoplasms, Glandular and EpithelialNeoplasms by Histologic TypeNeoplasmsNeoplasms, Squamous CellEsophageal NeoplasmsGastrointestinal NeoplasmsDigestive System NeoplasmsNeoplasms by SiteHead and Neck NeoplasmsDigestive System DiseasesEsophageal DiseasesGastrointestinal Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Chlorine CompoundsInorganic ChemicalsNitrogen CompoundsPlatinum CompoundsTherapeuticsDeoxycytidineCytidinePyrimidine NucleosidesPyrimidinesHeterocyclic Compounds, 1-RingHeterocyclic CompoundsFluorouracilUracilPyrimidinonesDeoxyribonucleosidesNucleosidesNucleic Acids, Nucleotides, and Nucleosides

Study Officials

  • Hui Liu, Professor

    Sun yat-sen universtiy cancer center

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 2
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 13, 2024

First Posted

February 28, 2024

Study Start

December 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Last Updated

November 17, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Locations