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Head & Neck CancerPhase 2NCT07752394

Penpulimab Combined With Chemotherapy for Patients With Locally Advanced Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma

A Phase 2 study testing Finotonlimab, Nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin in people with Head & Neck Cancer, run by Tang-Du Hospital at 1 site in China.

Not yet recruiting

Opening soon. The study is approved but enrolment has not started yet. Sites may already take enquiries.

Sites and contacts
Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

This is a prospective, single-arm, phase II clinical study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of penpulimab combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 80 years
Conditions the study is for
Head & Neck Cancer
What is being tested?
Finotonlimab, Nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
15 participants
Where
1 siteChina
Study dates
23 Aug 2026to 23 Aug 2031
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • 1. Aged 18 to 80 years old (inclusive of 18 and 80 years), of either gender. 2.Histopathologically or cytologically confirmed, and diagnosed as resectable locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinomaby (LAHC ) MRI imaging.3.At least one measurable lesion according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) Version 1.1.4. Male subjects are eligible if they agree to comply with the following standards during treatment and for at least 180 days after the last cycle of chemotherapy:a) Prohibition of sperm donation;AND• Abstain from heterosexual intercourse as a usual and preferred lifestyle (long-term and persistent abstinence) and agree to maintain abstinence;OR• Agree to use contraceptive measures unless confirmed as azoospermic (vasectomy or secondary to medical reasons, see Appendix 5), with details as follows:→ Use a male condom during penile-vaginal intercourse with a reproductive-aged female partner who is not currently pregnant, and the partner uses an additional contraceptive method.Note: Males whose partners are pregnant or breastfeeding must agree to either maintain abstinence from penile-vaginal intercourse at all times or use a male condom for every penile-vaginal penetration.b) Male subjects must also agree to use a male condom during any activity that allows ejaculation with others of any gender.c) Contraceptive methods used by males must comply with regulations regarding contraception in clinical research participation.5.Female subjects are eligible if they are not pregnant or breastfeeding, and meet at least one of the following conditions:(1) Not a woman of childbearing potential (WOCBP);OR(2) If a WOCBP, use a highly effective contraceptive method (annual failure rate <1%) with low user dependence, or abstain from heterosexual intercourse as a preferred and regular lifestyle (long-term and persistent abstinence) during the intervention period and for at least 210 days after the last cycle of chemotherapy, and agree not to donate ova (eggs, oocytes) to others or freeze/store ova for personal reproductive purposes during this period. Investigators shall evaluate the likelihood of contraceptive method failure (i.e., non-compliance, recent initiation) relative to the first administration of study treatment.a) WOCBP must have a negative result on a highly sensitive urine or serum pregnancy test (urine or serum test selected per regulatory requirements) within 24 hours (urine) or 72 hours (serum) before the first administration of study treatment to be enrolled.Note: If the interval between the screening pregnancy test and the first administration of study intervention exceeds 24 hours (urine) or 72 hours (serum), a repeat pregnancy test (urine or serum) must be performed, and the result must be negative for the subject to start receiving study medication.b) If a urine test is inconclusive (e.g., unclear result), a serum pregnancy test is required. In such cases, subjects with a positive serum pregnancy test result must be excluded.c) Investigators are responsible for reviewing medical history, menstrual history, and recent sexual activity to reduce the risk of enrolling women with undetected early pregnancy.d) Contraceptive methods used by females must comply with regulations regarding contraception in clinical research participation;6.Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status score of 0-2 within 3 days before the first administration of study intervention.7.Evidence of extranodal extension (ENE) in lymph nodes (confirmed by MRI, CT, or pathology).8.Voluntarily sign the written informed consent form for the study.9.Expected survival time ≥6 months.10.Adequate organ function as indicated by screening laboratory test results.a) Hematological parameters:White blood cell (WBC) count ≥4 × 10⁹/L;Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1.5 × 10⁹/L;Platelet count ≥100 × 10⁹/L;Hemoglobin (Hb) ≥90 g/L;b) Renal function:Serum creatinine ≤1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN), or creatinine clearance (CrCl) >60 mL/min (calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula):Female: CrCl = [(140 - age) × body weight (kg) × 0.85] / (72 × Scr [mg/dL])Male: CrCl = [(140 - age) × body weight (kg) × 1.00] / (72 × Scr [mg/dL])c) Hepatic function:Serum total bilirubin ≤1.5 × ULN;Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤2.5 × ULN;Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤2.5 × ULN;d) Coagulation function:International Normalized Ratio (INR) ≤1.5;Prothrombin time (PT) or activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) ≤1.5 × ULN.11.Good compliance and willingness to cooperate with follow-up procedures.

Who cannot join

  • 1.Prior systemic therapy for advanced (metastatic) or unresectable (locally advanced) hypopharyngeal carcinoma, except for permitted neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy. Neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy must have been completed at least 6 months before the diagnosis of advanced and/or unresectable disease. Subjects who received prior neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy and had R2 pathology after tumor resection are excluded.
  • 2.Active autoimmune disease requiring systemic therapy (i.e., disease-modifying agents, corticosteroids, or immunosuppressive drugs) within the past 2 years. Replacement therapies (e.g., thyroxine, insulin, or physiological corticosteroid replacement for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency) are not considered systemic therapy and are permitted.3.Major surgery prior to the initiation of study intervention with inadequate recovery from surgery and/or surgical complications.4.Prior treatment with anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agents, or drugs targeting other stimulatory or co-inhibitory T-cell receptors (e.g., CTLA-4, OX-40, CD137).5.Prior treatment with EGFR-targeted agents.6.Anti-tumor therapy for advanced tonsillar cancer, including investigational drugs, within 4 weeks before enrollment.7.Unresolved adverse events (AEs) from prior anti-cancer therapy (i.e., AEs > Grade 1 or baseline). Subjects with neuropathy ≤ Grade 2 may be eligible based on investigator assessment.8.Radiotherapy within 2 weeks before the start of investigational treatment. Subjects must have recovered from all radiotherapy-related toxicities, be free of corticosteroid use, and have no history of radiation pneumonitis. A 1-week washout period is permitted for palliative radiotherapy (≤2 weeks of radiotherapy) for non-central nervous system (CNS) disease (if deemed safe by the investigator). A 2-week washout period is required for longer radiotherapy courses (>2 weeks).9.Administration of live vaccines within 30 days before the first dose of study drug.Note: Live vaccines include, but are not limited to: measles, mumps, rubella, varicella/zoster (chickenpox), yellow fever, rabies, bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), and typhoid vaccines. Seasonal influenza vaccines administered by injection are generally inactivated virus vaccines and are permitted; however, intranasal influenza vaccines (e.g., FluMist) are live attenuated vaccines and are not permitted.10.Current or prior participation in a study of an investigational drug, or use of an investigational device within 4 weeks before the first dose of study drug.Note: Subjects who have entered the follow-up phase of an investigational study are eligible to participate in this study if at least 4 weeks have passed since the last dose of the prior investigational drug.11.Diagnosis of immunodeficiency or receipt of long-term systemic corticosteroid therapy (dose exceeding 10 mg prednisone equivalent per day) or any form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days before the first dose of study drug.12.History of another invasive malignancy that is progressive or required active treatment within the past 3 years.Note: Subjects with a history of skin basal cell carcinoma, skin squamous cell carcinoma, or carcinoma in situ (e.g., ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast, cervical carcinoma in situ) who have received potentially curative treatment are not excluded.13.Severe hypersensitivity reaction (> Grade 3) to toripalimab, nimotuzumab, albumin-bound paclitaxel, carboplatin, and/or any of their excipients.14.History of (non-infectious) pneumonitis requiring corticosteroid therapy, or current pneumonitis.15.Active infection requiring systemic therapy.16.Known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.17.Known active tuberculosis (TB; Mycobacterium tuberculosis).18.Severe, poorly controlled concurrent diseases (e.g., heart failure, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, liver failure, renal failure, thyroid disease, psychiatric illness, etc.).19.Major surgery within 30 days before the first dose of investigational drug or planned surgery during the study period.20.Inappropriate for study participation as assessed by the investigator.21.Unwillingness to participate in the study or inability to sign the informed consent form.22.Known history or any evidence of central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis as assessed by the study site investigator.23.History or evidence of disease, treatment, or abnormal laboratory values that may interfere with trial results, prevent full participation in the study (e.g., hearing impairment), or that the investigator believes would not be in the subject's best interest to participate.24.Known psychiatric illness or substance abuse disorder that would interfere with the subject's ability to comply with study requirements.25.History of allogeneic tissue/solid organ transplantation.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

China1 site
  • Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi Province, China

    Xi’an, Shanxi, 710038

    daqing Zhao, 86+13720528990, zhaodq430@163.com

Other trials in China

About this study

Official title: Efficacy and Safety of Penpulimab Combined With Chemotherapy as Neoadjuvant Therapy in Patients With Locally Advanced Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma

This is a prospective, single-arm, phase II clinical study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of penpulimab combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

Read the detailed description

This is a prospective, single-arm, phase II clinical study aiming to evaluate the efficacy and safety of penpulimab combined with chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma. The study intends to explore whether penpulimab combined with chemotherapy can improve the pathological complete response rate (pCR) and overall survival (OS) compared with historical data. Approximately 15 eligible patients will be recruited at Tangdu Hospital. Enrollment is expected to be completed within one year, and all enrolled subjects meeting the inclusion criteria will be followed up for 5 years.

Being tested
Finotonlimab, Nab-paclitaxel, carboplatin
Keywords
Finotonlimab, neouAdjuvant, pathological complete response, pCR
Medical subject headings
Head and Neck Neoplasms, Pathologic Complete Response

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • FinotonlimabDrug

    Finotonlimab was administered by intravenous infusion at a dose of 200 mg,d1, Q3W,for 2-4 cycles Other Name:

  • Nab-paclitaxelDrug

    treatment Regimen:Nab-paclitaxel was administered by intravenous infusion at a dose of 260mg/m² ,d1, Q3W,for 2-4 cycles

  • carboplatinDrug

    Also called Carboplatin (neoadjuvant), Carboplatin (AUC 6), Carboplatin (AUC 5)

    treatment Regimen: Carboplatin dosage was calculated using the Calvert formula (dose = target AUC × [GFR + 25]), d1,IV,Q3W,for 2-4 cycles

Study groups in NCT07752394
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
An Exploratory Study of Neoadjuvant Vibecortamab Combined with Putilimab in Locally Advanced LaryngeExperimentalFinotonlimab 200 mg, intravenous infusion on Day 1, once every 3 weeks for 2 cycles; nab-paclitaxel 260 mg/m², intravenous infusion on Day 1, once every 3 weeks for 2-4 cycles. The dose of carboplatin will be calculated using the Calvert formula (Dose = target AUC × [GFR + 25]), administered via intravenous infusion on Day 1 once every 3 weeks for 2-4 cycles. Infusion-related reactions shall be closely monitored. All patients will receive 2-4 cycles of neoadjuvant combination chemotherapy, and endoscopy and radiological evaluation will be performed at approximately Day 42.
Receives: Drug: Finotonlimab; Drug: Nab-paclitaxel; Drug: carboplatin

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Major pathological response rate (MPR)

    residual tumor in the primary lesion < 10% (pathological assessment).

    Measured: [Time Frame: Within 1-2 week after radical surgery (performed 2-3 weeks after the completion of 2 cycles of neoadjuvant treatment)]

Secondary outcomes (5)
  1. Pathological complete response rate (pCR)

    no residual tumor cells in the primary lesion and lymph nodes after surgery (pathological assessment).

    Measured: [Time Frame: Within 1-2 week after radical surgery (same time point as MPR assessment)]

  2. Surgical resection margin (first margin and second margin)

    First margin: tumor margin before neoadjuvant therapy;

    Second margin: tumor margin after neoadjuvant therapy (defined as Clear margin per the 2025 NCCN Guidelines: the distance from invasive tumor to the resection margin ≥ 5 mm).

    Measured: [Time Frame: Within 1-2 week after radical surgery (performed 2-3 weeks after the completion of 2 cycles of neoadjuvant treatment)]

  3. Radiological response rate

    evaluated by contrast-enhanced CT/MRI before and after treatment (per RECIST 1.1 criteria: complete response [CR]/partial response [PR]/stable disease [SD]/progressive disease [PD]).

    Measured: [Time Frame: After the completion of 2 cycles of neoadjuvant treatment (each cycle is 21 days)]

  4. Functional preservation rate

    Functional preservation rate was defined as the proportion of patients with normal phonation and swallowing function: before surgery, and 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year after surgery or radiotherapy (evaluated via video laryngoscopy + scale assessment + voice analysis)

    Measured: [Time Frame: functional assessment: before surgery,and 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year after surgery or Concurrent chemoradiotherapy]

  5. Disease-free survival (DFS)

    the time from the initiation of radical treatment to the first occurrence of disease recurrence, metastasis, second primary cancer, or death from any cause.

    Measured: [Time Frame: 72 months after treatment initiation]

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted7 Aug 2026
  2. Study start23 Aug 2026 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion23 Aug 2031 (estimated)
  4. Study completion23 Aug 2031 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
15 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07752394
Sponsor's protocol ID
K202607-03
Status last verified
Aug 2026
First submitted
4 Aug 2026
Last updated
7 Aug 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Finotonlimab, Nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin in people with Head & Neck Cancer, run by Tang-Du Hospital at 1 site in China.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact daqing zhao (86+13720528990, Zhaodq430@126.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Major pathological response rate (MPR) (time frame: [Time Frame: Within 1-2 week after radical surgery (performed 2-3 weeks after the completion of 2 cycles of neoadjuvant treatment)]). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 7 Aug 2026.

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