Can a pair of PET scans reveal who will beat esophageal cancer?
NCT ID NCT07770672
First seen Aug 18, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026
Summary
This study asks whether two PET/CT scans taken before treatment can predict how well patients with esophageal cancer respond to immunotherapy plus chemotherapy given before surgery. Adults with stage II to IVA esophageal squamous cell carcinoma will receive both scans, and those predicted to have a poor response will be randomly assigned to one of two drug combinations. The goal is to see if the scans can guide treatment choices and improve the chance of eliminating all cancer cells.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Two PET/CT scans (68Ga-FAPI and 18F-FDG) used to predict treatment response, followed by retlirafusp alfa or adebrelimab combined with chemotherapy
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help doctors identify which patients with esophageal cancer are unlikely to benefit from standard pre-surgery immunotherapy, allowing them to switch to a potentially more effective treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage exploratory study, so the predictive accuracy of the scans is not yet proven. The experimental drug retlirafusp alfa may not improve outcomes, and both scans and treatments carry risks of side effects.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University
Shanghai, China
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