Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the common malignant tumors in the world. More than 60% of HNSCC patients are locally advanced when first diagnosed. The treatment effect of locally advanced HNSCC is not ideal. About 50-60% of patients will have local recurrence within 2 years, and 20-30% of patients will have distant metastasis. The 5-year disease control rate is approximately 40%, and the 5-year overall survival rate is less than 50%. In recent years, PD-1 inhibitors have shown significant efficacy in recurrent/metastatic HNSCC. The Keynote 040 and Checkmate 141 studies established the status of PD-1 inhibitors as second-line treatment in recurrent/metastatic HNSCC. The Keynote 048 study further established the value of PD-1 inhibitors alone or in combination with chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of recurrent/metastatic HNSCC. An increasing number of studies have attempted to explore the value of neoadjuvant therapy with PD-1 inhibitors in locally advanced HNSCC. For example,The Checkmate 358 study showed that the clinical objective response rate of neoadjuvant nivolumab monotherapy was 10.2%, and the major pathological response rate (MPR) was 2.9%. Ivonescimab is a new PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody drug, which can block both the PD-1 pathway and the VEGF pathway. This dual blocking mechanism is expected to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy by improving the tumor microenvironment. Ivonescimab has been studied in Phase II to Phase III clinical studies in multiple tumor types such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. For example, the HARMONi-2 study showed that ivocilizumab monotherapy had significantly better progression-free survival (PFS) than pembrolizumab in the treatment of PD-L1-positive locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In recurrent and metastatic HNSCC, Ivonescimab alone or in combination with the CD47 monoclonal antibody Ligufalimab has better objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) than pembrolizumab. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of perioperative treatment with Ivonescimab and pembrolizumab in surgically resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
80
Two cycles of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab (200mg q3w) followed by radical surgery. Adjuvant radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy is decided based on pathological risk factors. Fifteen cycles of pembrolizumab (200mg q3w)maintenance therapy was given.
Two cycles of neoadjuvant Ivonescimab (10mg/kg q3w) followed by radical surgery. Adjuvant radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy is decided based on pathological risk factors. Fifteen cycles of Ivonescimab maintenance therapy (10mg/kg q3w) was given.
Radical surgery
Adjuvant radiotherapy with/without concurrent cisplatin-based chemotherapy, based on pathologic risk factors.
Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
Major pathological response
Major pathologic response, defined as ≤10% residual viable tumor in the resected primary tumor and lymph node tissue
Time frame: 4 months
Event-free survival rate
Event free survival, defined as the time from the randomization to the first occurrence of any of the following events-disease progression that precludes surgical treatment, local recurrence or distant metastasis, or death from any cause. The Kaplan Meier method was used to estimate the EFS rate for each treatment group at 1 year after treatment assignment.
Time frame: One year
Overall survival rate
Overall survival, defined as the time from randomization to death from any cause. The Kaplan Meier method was used to estimate the OS rate for each treatment group at 1 year after treatment assignment.
Time frame: One year
pCR rate
Pathologic complete response rate, defined as no residual tumor within the resected primary disease and lymph node tissue.
Time frame: 4 months
Overall response of neoadjuvant therapy
Neoadjuvant treatment objective response rate (ORR), defined as the proportion of CR and PR subjects in each treatment group who took at least one cycle of neoadjuvant treatment, per RECIST 1.1 criteria.
Time frame: 8 weeks
Adverse event
AE refers to an adverse medical event that occurs after a clinical trial subject receives a drug, but it is not necessarily causally related to the treatment. AE can be any unfavorable and unexpected symptoms, signs, laboratory abnormalities or diseases.
Time frame: From the time of randomization to 90 days after the last dose of immunotherapy.
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