Nerve cut may supercharge tongue cancer treatment

NCT ID NCT07346807

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This phase II trial tests whether surgically cutting the lingual nerve (which controls tongue sensation) can make chemoimmunotherapy work better for people with advanced tongue cancer. 69 adults with stage T3/T4 tongue cancer will receive the nerve cut along with two cycles of tislelizumab, cisplatin, and nab-paclitaxel before standard surgery. The main goal is to see if this combination improves tumor response before surgery.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

lingual nerve disruption (surgical nerve cut), tislelizumab (immunotherapy), albumin-bound paclitaxel and cisplatin (chemotherapy)

What this could lead to

If it works, this could point toward a way to make standard chemoimmunotherapy more effective for advanced tongue cancer before surgery.

What could go wrong

This is a small, early-phase trial with only 69 people and no comparison group. The nerve-cutting procedure is experimental and may cause permanent numbness or other side effects without improving outcomes.

Disclaimer Read more

This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

tongue squamous cell carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Study contacts

  • Contact

    Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

  • Contact

    Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

  • Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University

    Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200032, China

    Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••