Neoadjuvant ChemoRadiotherapy Followed by Immunotherapy and Surgery for Resectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma（CRIS-2 Trial）

NCT06509568 | Recruiting Phase 2

• 1 other identifier: IIT-2024-238
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 92
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Based on our previous single-arm Phase Ib study (CRIS trial, NCT06303583), we observed that neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by immunotherapy (nCRIT) significantly increased the pathological complete response (pCR) rate, achieving approximately 60% in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC). We plan to initiate a multicenter, prospective, randomized phase II trial designed to compare the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (nCIT) versus neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by immunotherapy (nCRIT) in treating esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The primary study population includes patients with operable or potentially operable thoracic ESCC classified as cT3-4aN0 or T2-4aN+ based on endoscopy, enhanced chest and abdominal CT, and whole-body PET scans. Eligible participants are aged 18-75 years with an ECOG performance status of 0-1. Qualified patients will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the nCRIT group or the nCIT group. Patients in the nCRIT group will receive neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy: radiation therapy will be administered using IMRT or VMAT with involved-field irradiation at a dose of PTV 41.4 Gy/23 fractions/31 days. Chemotherapy will consist of weekly administration of paclitaxel (albumin-bound) 50 mg/m² and carboplatin (AUC=2) for five weeks, given on the days of radiotherapy. Patients who do not progress on CT and meet immunotherapy criteria will receive fixed-dose tislelizumab (200 mg IV) on days 8 and 29 after chemoradiotherapy, followed by minimally invasive esophagectomy four weeks after completing immunotherapy. Patients in the nCIT group will receive two cycles of TC chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, specifically paclitaxel (albumin-bound) 100 mg/m² on days 1, 8, 15 or 260mg/m² d1, carboplatin (AUC=5) on days 1, and tislelizumab (200 mg) on days 1. Minimally invasive esophagectomy will be performed 4-6 weeks after completing chemotherapy, and adjuvant immunotherapy is recommended for one year after surgery. The primary endpoint of the study is the pathological complete response (pCR). Secondary endpoints include treatment safety, CT imaging response rate, R0 resection rate, major pathological response (MPR), 2-year event-free survival (EFS), 2-year overall survival (OS) in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, and analysis of treatment failure reasons.

Conditions

Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• pCR

  Pathologic complete response (pCR) was defined as the absence of cancer cells in both the esophagus and lymph nodes following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy

  1 months after surgery

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• R0 resection rate

  1 months after surgery

• MPR

  1 months after surgery

• 2-year EFS

  2 years after randomization

• 2-year OS

  2 years after randomization

• Adverse Events

  2 years after randomization

Study Arms (2)

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by immunotherapy (nCRIT)

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients in the nCRIT group will receive neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy: radiation therapy will be administered using IMRT or VMAT with involved-field irradiation at a dose of PTV 41.4 Gy/23 fractions/31 days. Chemotherapy will consist of weekly administration of paclitaxel (albumin-bound) 50 mg/m² and carboplatin (AUC 2) for five weeks, given on the days of radiotherapy. Patients who do not progress on CT and meet immunotherapy criteria will receive fixed-dose tislelizumab (200 mg IV) on days 8 and 29 after chemoradiotherapy, followed by minimally invasive esophagectomy four weeks after completing immunotherapy.

Radiation: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by immunotherapy

Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (nCIT)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Patients in the nCIT group will receive two cycles of TC chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, specifically paclitaxel (albumin-bound) 100 mg/m² on days 1, 8, 15 or 260mg/m² d1, carboplatin (AUC=5) on days 1, and tislelizumab (200 mg) on days 1. Minimally invasive esophagectomy will be performed 4-6 weeks after completing chemotherapy, and adjuvant immunotherapy is recommended for one year after surgery.

Drug: Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy

Interventions

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by immunotherapy RADIATION

Patients in the nCRIT group will receive neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy: radiation therapy will be administered using IMRT or VMAT with involved-field irradiation at a dose of PTV 41.4 Gy/23 fractions/31 days. Chemotherapy will consist of weekly administration of paclitaxel (albumin-bound) 50 mg/m² and carboplatin (AUC 2) for five weeks, given on the days of radiotherapy. Patients who do not progress on CT and meet immunotherapy criteria will receive fixed-dose tislelizumab (200 mg IV) on days 8 and 29 after chemoradiotherapy, followed by minimally invasive esophagectomy four weeks after completing immunotherapy.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by immunotherapy (nCRIT)

Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy DRUG

Patients in the nCIT group will receive two cycles of TC chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, specifically paclitaxel (albumin-bound) 100 mg/m² on days 1, 8, 15 or 260mg/m² d1, carboplatin (AUC=5) on days 1, and tislelizumab (200 mg) on days 1. Minimally invasive esophagectomy will be performed 4-6 weeks after completing chemotherapy, and adjuvant immunotherapy is recommended for one year after surgery.

Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (nCIT)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age and Consent: Subjects must be male or female, aged ≥18 and ≤75 years at the time of signing the informed consent form.
• Performance Status: Subjects must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status score of 0-1, or a Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score of ≥80.
• Histological Confirmation: Histologically confirmed thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), with the upper boundary of the lesion not exceeding the thoracic inlet.
• Resectability: Subjects must have resectable or potentially resectable T3-4aN0 or T2-4aN+ ESCC, as per the AJCC/UICC 8th edition clinical staging (cTNM).
• Lesion Length: The length of the esophageal lesion must be \<8 cm.
• Surgical Eligibility: Subjects must have no contraindications for surgical procedures.
• Organ Function: Subjects must have good cardiopulmonary function and other organ functions to tolerate chemoradiotherapy and surgery.
• a. Hematology (without the use of any blood components and cell growth factor support treatment within 7 days before the start of study treatment): i. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5×10\^9/L (1500/mm\^3). ii. Platelet count ≥ 100×10\^9/L (100000/mm\^3). iii. Hemoglobin ≥ 90 g/L. b. Renal Function: i. Calculated creatinine clearance\* (CrCl) ≥ 50 mL/min.
• \*CrCl will be calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula: CrCl (mL/min) = (140 - age) × weight (kg) × F / (SCr (mg/dL) × 72), where F = 1 for males and 0.85 for females; SCr = serum creatinine. ii. Urine protein \< 2+ or 24-hour urine protein quantification \< 1.0 g. c. Liver Function: i. Serum total bilirubin (TBiL) ≤ 1.5 × ULN (Upper Limit of Normal). ii. AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 × ULN; for subjects with liver metastasis, AST and ALT ≤ 5 × ULN.
• iii. Serum albumin (ALB) ≥ 28 g/L. d. Coagulation Function: International normalized ratio (INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) ≤ 1.5 × ULN (unless the subject is receiving anticoagulant therapy and INR and APTT are within the expected therapeutic range).
• e. Cardiac Function: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 60%.
• Female Subjects of Childbearing Potential: Must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test within 3 days prior to the first dose (if the urine pregnancy test is inconclusive, a serum pregnancy test will be required, and the serum result will be definitive). If a female subject of childbearing potential engages in sexual activity with an unsterilized male partner, she must use highly effective contraception from the start of screening and agree to continue using it for 120 days after the last dose of the study drug. Decisions regarding contraception discontinuation after this period should be discussed with the investigator.
• Male Subjects with Female Partners of Childbearing Potential: Must use effective contraception from the start of screening until 120 days after the last dose of the study drug. Decisions regarding contraception discontinuation after this period should be discussed with the investigator.
• Compliance: Subjects must be adequately informed and sign the informed consent form. They must also be willing and able to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plans, laboratory tests, and other study requirements.

You may not qualify if:

• Cervical esophageal cancer (lesion located in the cervical esophagus).
• Metastasis to cervical lymph nodes or lymph nodes around the celiac artery.
• Invasion of the trachea or aorta.
• Hoarseness caused by the esophageal tumor.
• Esophageal fistula or a tendency to develop an esophageal fistula.
• Pregnant or lactating patients.
• Severe, poorly controlled diabetes mellitus.
• Inability to use the stomach for esophageal replacement due to previous surgeries.
• Previous receipt of chemoradiotherapy.
• Allergy or contraindication to taxane drugs.
• Inability to provide informed consent due to psychological, familial, or social reasons.
• History of malignancies other than esophageal cancer.
• Inability to tolerate chemoradiotherapy due to severe cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic, renal dysfunction, hematologic diseases, or cachexia; BMI \< 18.5.
• Active autoimmune disease, history of autoimmune disease (including but not limited to colitis, hepatitis, hyperthyroidism, etc.), history of immune deficiency (including positive HIV test), or other congenital or acquired immune deficiency disorders, organ transplantation, or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.
• Active hepatitis B (HBV DNA ≥ 2000 IU/mL or 10\^4 copies/mL), active hepatitis C (positive hepatitis C antibody with HCV-RNA levels above the detection limit).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Zhejiang Cancer Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

Zhejiang Cancer Hospital

Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

RECRUITING

Related Publications (3)

• van Hagen P, Hulshof MC, van Lanschot JJ, Steyerberg EW, van Berge Henegouwen MI, Wijnhoven BP, Richel DJ, Nieuwenhuijzen GA, Hospers GA, Bonenkamp JJ, Cuesta MA, Blaisse RJ, Busch OR, ten Kate FJ, Creemers GJ, Punt CJ, Plukker JT, Verheul HM, Spillenaar Bilgen EJ, van Dekken H, van der Sangen MJ, Rozema T, Biermann K, Beukema JC, Piet AH, van Rij CM, Reinders JG, Tilanus HW, van der Gaast A; CROSS Group. Preoperative chemoradiotherapy for esophageal or junctional cancer. N Engl J Med. 2012 May 31;366(22):2074-84. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1112088.

  PMID: 22646630 BACKGROUND

• Izutsu M, Kobayashi S, Higuchi N, Yuasa Y, Ogawa K, Narimatsu Y, Nakano K, Hiramatsu K, Shen Y, Azemoto S. [CT angiography of the liver]. Nihon Igaku Hoshasen Gakkai Zasshi. 1993 Jan 25;53(1):101-3. Japanese.

  PMID: 8441593 BACKGROUND

• Qin J, Xue L, Hao A, Guo X, Jiang T, Ni Y, Liu S, Chen Y, Jiang H, Zhang C, Kang M, Lin J, Li H, Li C, Tian H, Li L, Fu J, Zhang Y, Ma J, Wang X, Fu M, Yang H, Yang Z, Han Y, Chen L, Tan L, Dai T, Liao Y, Zhang W, Li B, Chen Q, Guo S, Qi Y, Wei L, Li Z, Tian Z, Kang X, Zhang R, Li Y, Wang Z, Chen X, Hou Z, Zheng R, Zhu W, He J, Li Y. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without camrelizumab in resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: the randomized phase 3 ESCORT-NEO/NCCES01 trial. Nat Med. 2024 Sep;30(9):2549-2557. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03064-w. Epub 2024 Jul 2.

  PMID: 38956195 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Carcinoma; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Neoplasms, Squamous Cell; Esophageal Neoplasms; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Digestive System Diseases; Esophageal Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases

Central Study Contacts

Yang Yang

CONTACT

057188128182; yangyang@zjcc.org.cn

Weizhen Xu

CONTACT

xuwz@zjcc.org.cn

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: Clinical Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 12, 2024
• First Posted: July 19, 2024
• Study Start: August 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2027
• Last Updated: August 29, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Locations

CN (1)