Immunotherapy cocktail shows promise in shrinking esophageal tumors before surgery
NCT ID NCT04974047
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 2 trial tested whether adding the immunotherapy drug tislelizumab to chemotherapy and/or radiation before surgery could help completely eliminate esophageal cancer in 70 patients. The goal was to see if the tumor and all cancer cells in lymph nodes were gone at the time of surgery. The study also tracked how many patients had clean surgical margins and how long they stayed cancer-free.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- tislelizumab (an immunotherapy drug) combined with chemotherapy (paclitaxel, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil) and/or radiation
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could increase the chance of completely removing esophageal cancer before surgery, potentially improving long-term outcomes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (70 people) with no control group, so results may not be definitive. Side effects from the drug combination and radiation can be significant.
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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Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University
Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200032, China
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Anhui Provincial Hospital
Hefei, Anhui, 230000, China
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Fujian Medical University Union Hospital
Fuzhou, Fujian, 350001, China
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Tangdu Hospital
Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710038, China
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The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University
Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050011, China
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Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital
Tianjin, Tianjin Municipality, 300060, China
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Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Wuhan, Hubei, 430022, China
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West China Hospital, Sichuan University
Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
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