Can a targeted pill outperform chemotherapy in tough esophageal cancer?
NCT ID NCT04415853
First seen Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 3 trial is testing whether an experimental drug called lerotinib can help people with advanced esophageal cancer that has progressed after at least two prior treatments. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either lerotinib or a standard chemotherapy chosen by their doctor. The main goal is to see if lerotinib extends overall survival compared to chemotherapy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Lerotinib (also known as Z650), an experimental targeted therapy, compared with standard chemotherapy (irinotecan or tegafur).
- What this could lead to
- If successful, lerotinib could offer a new treatment option for people with advanced esophageal cancer that has stopped responding to standard therapies, potentially extending survival.
- What could go wrong
- This is a late-stage trial, but the drug may not work for everyone, and side effects are possible. The results will need to be confirmed before the drug becomes widely available.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 416 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age:18-75 years, male or female. 2. Histologically or cytologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus or advanced/metastatic disease. 3. Has an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1. 4. Life expectancy of greater than 3 months. 5. Documented objective radiographic or clinical disease progression on two previous lines of standard therapy. 6. Can provide archival tumor tissue sample for biomarker analysis (such as EGFR overexpression/expansion status), biopsies are required if tissue samples cannot be provided 7. Confirmed by the central laboratory as EGFR high expression. 8. Evaluable disease based on Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1. 9. Ability to swallow drugs. 10. Adequate organ function. 11. Voluntarily join the study and sign informed consent ad has good compliance. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Prior therapies with EGFR targeted drugs including EGFR antibodies. 2. Previously treated with Irinotecan and Tegafur. 3. Anthracycline, nitrosourea, and mitomycin within 6 weeks; traditional Chinese medicine for anti-tumor within 2 weeks;immune anti-tumor therapy. within 8 weeks;other anti-tumor therapies within 4 weeks before randomization. 4. Not recovered from adverse events due to a previously administered agent. 5. Have undergone major surgery within 4 weeks prior to randomization (not including diagnostic surgery) or expect major surgery during the study period. 6. Previously or currently participating in other clinical trials within 4 weeks before randomization (subjects who have entered the follow-up period are calculated based on the last use of experimental drugs or devices). 7. Received a live vaccine within 28 days before randomization or plan to receive live vaccine after enrollment. 8. Received a strong inducer or inhibitor of CYP3A4 enzyme within 1 week or received Solivudine or its structurally similar drugs within 56 days prior to randomization. 9. Simultaneously receiving any other anti-tumor treatment. 10. Has a known additional malignancy previously within the last 5 years with the exception of basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or any other tumor that has been cured。 11. Central nervous system metastasis or uncontrolled central nervous system metastasis currently in need of treatment; or confirmed central nervous system metastasis, but not stable for more than 4 weeks after anti-tumor therapy; spinal cord compression, cancerous meningitis, or meningitis. 12. Clinically obvious gastrointestinal abnormalities, which may affect the intake, transport or absorption of drugs. 13. Having active gastrointestinal ulcer, active gastrointestinal bleeding, and perforation; 14. Risk of major bleeding or esophageal fistula; 15. Previous or present with interstitial lung disease or immunotherapy-associated pneumonia; currently suffering from drug-induced pneumonia, radiation pneumonitis requiring steroid therapy, or clinically symptomatic active pneumonia, or other moderate to severe lungs that seriously affect lung function disease 16. Active infection during the screening period (including but not limited to infection requiring intravenous drip therapy), or unexplained fever (\> 38.5°C)within 2 weeks prior to randomization. 17. Has congenital or acquired immune deficiency (such as HIV infection). 18. Known active Hepatitis B or C. 19. Has any of the following diseases within the first 12 months of randomization: myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting or peripheral artery bypass graft surgery, heart failure (NYHA III to IV), etc and unstable angina with 6 months. 20. Has thrombosis or embolism occurred within the first 12 months of randomization, such as cerebrovascular accident (including transient ischemic attack), deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism with heparin or other similar drugs. 21. QTc interval (QTcF) corrected by Fridericia method\> 470 ms; history of congenital long QT interval syndrome; any history of clinically significant ventricular arrhythmias (such as ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation) Or torsion-type ventricular tachycardia); left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \<50%. 22. Allergies or contraindications to Z650 excipients (mannitol, sodium carboxymethyl starch, micronized silica gel, magnesium stearate, silicified microcrystalline cellulose), or to Irinotecan or Tegafur or its formulation ingredients. 23. Has uncontrolled pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, pelvic effusion, or ascites requiring repeated drainage. 24. Has a history of organ transplantation or a history of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. 25. Pregnant, breastfeeding, or expecting to conceive or father children within the projected duration of the study, starting with the screening visit through 6 months after the last dose of study medication. 26. Has other serious acute or chronic diseases and are not suitable for participating in clinical trials judged by investigators.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Chinese PLA General Hospital
RECRUITINGBeijing, Beijing Municipality, 100036, China
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can custom vitamin pills fix nutrient gaps after stomach or esophageal cancer surgery?
- Can repeated MRI scans reveal how tumors respond to radiation?