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.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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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, Shanghai Municipality, 200032, China
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