Promising combo aims to boost Cancer-Free survival in head and neck cancer
NCT ID NCT07524452
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 3 trial is testing whether adding a targeted drug (becotatug vedotin) to standard immunotherapy (a PD-1 inhibitor) before and after surgery can help people with a certain type of head and neck cancer live longer without the cancer coming back. About 430 adults with EGFR-positive, CPS≥1 resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma will be randomly assigned to receive the combination or immunotherapy alone. The main goal is to see if the combo improves event-free survival.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- becotatug vedotin (a targeted drug) plus pucotenlimab (an immunotherapy)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this combination could become a new standard treatment before and after surgery for certain head and neck cancers, potentially improving the chance of staying cancer-free.
- What could go wrong
- This is still an experimental approach; the added drug may cause more side effects and it's unknown if it will truly improve outcomes over the immunotherapy alone.
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 430 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2026
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2032
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
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 75 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. Voluntarily sign the informed consent form; 2. Untreated, histologically confirmed head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx), EGFR-positive, CPS ≥ 1, with clinical stage (AJCC 8th edition): p16-positive oropharynx: Stage III (T4N0-2M0); p16-negative oropharynx: Stage III or IVA; larynx/hypopharynx/oral cavity: Stage III or IVA; 3. Eligible for curative-intent surgery as determined by the surgeon; 4. Age: 18 to 75 years; 5. ECOG performance status 0-1; 6. Life expectancy greater than 6 months; 7. At least one measurable lesion per RECIST 1.1; 8. Adequate organ function, based on meeting all of the following criteria (no receipt of blood components or hematopoietic growth factors within 14 days prior to testing): hemoglobin ≥ 90 g/L; absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L; platelet count ≥ 100 × 10⁹/L; serum albumin ≥ 28 g/L; total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN); ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 × ULN; serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 × ULN, with creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min; activated partial thromboplastin time and international normalized ratio (INR) ≤ 1.5 × ULN (patients receiving a stable dose of anticoagulant therapy, such as low molecular weight heparin or warfarin, may be enrolled if INR is within the expected therapeutic range for the anticoagulant). Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) ≤ ULN; if abnormal, T3 and T4 levels should be assessed, and patients with normal T3 and T4 levels may be enrolled; 9. Baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 50% as measured by multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan or echocardiography (ECHO); 10. Women of childbearing potential must agree to use contraception (e.g., intrauterine device, contraceptive pill, or condom) during the treatment period and for 3 months after the last dose; 11. Good compliance. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pregnant or breastfeeding women. 2. History of allergy to PD-1 inhibitors. 3. History of other malignancies within the past 5 years or at enrollment, with the exception of cured basal cell carcinoma of the skin, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, and thyroid papillary tumors. 4. Residual toxicity from prior anti-tumor therapy (including immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, etc.) other than alopecia, fatigue, and grade 2 hypothyroidism, or clinically significant laboratory abnormalities greater than grade 1 (CTCAE v5.0). 5. Uncontrolled cardiac conditions or diseases, such as: ① NYHA Class II or greater heart failure, ② unstable angina, ③ myocardial infarction within 1 year, and ④ patients with clinically significant ventricular arrhythmias requiring intervention. 6. Grade ≥ 2 peripheral neuropathy (per CTCAE v5.0). 7. Pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis within 3 months prior to enrollment (excluding catheter-related thrombosis from infusion ports or PICC lines). 8. Active bleeding, history of coagulation disorders, or patients receiving coumarin anticoagulant therapy. 9. Known hypersensitivity to any component or excipient of vibecotamab (citric acid monohydrate, sodium citrate dihydrate, trehalose dihydrate, sodium chloride, and polysorbate 80), or known grade ≥ 3 hypersensitivity reaction to other prior anti-EGFR agents (including investigational drugs) or other monoclonal antibodies. 10. Receipt of any of the following treatments: ① Any investigational drug prior to the first dose of the current study drug. ② Concurrent participation in another clinical study, unless it is an observational (non-interventional) clinical study or during the follow-up period. ③ Use of systemic corticosteroids (more than 10 mg of prednisone or equivalent per day) or other immunosuppressive agents within 2 weeks prior to the first dose of study drug, except for the use of corticosteroids for localized inflammation, prevention of allergies, or nausea and vomiting. In the absence of active autoimmune disease, inhaled or topical steroids and adrenal corticosteroid replacement doses greater than 10 mg prednisone equivalent per day are permitted. ④ Administration of live vaccines within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study drug. ⑤ Major surgery or severe trauma within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study drug. 11. Severe infection (greater than grade 2 per CTCAE), such as severe pneumonia requiring hospitalization, bacteremia, or infectious complications, occurring within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study drug; baseline chest imaging indicating active pulmonary inflammation or signs and symptoms of infection within 2 weeks prior to the first dose of study drug, or indicating the need for oral or intravenous antibiotic therapy (excluding prophylactic antibiotic use). 12. History of or concurrent severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with respiratory failure, severe pulmonary insufficiency, symptomatic bronchospasm, etc. 13. History of active autoimmune diseases or syndromes (including but not limited to interstitial pneumonia, colitis, hepatitis, hypophysitis, vasculitis, nephritis, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism). Patients with vitiligo that did not require any intervention in adulthood, or childhood asthma/allergy that has resolved, are not excluded. 14. History of immunodeficiency, including HIV-positive status or other acquired/congenital immunodeficiency diseases, or history of organ transplantation or bone marrow transplantation. 15. Patients with active tuberculosis infection by history or CT findings, or history of active tuberculosis infection within 1 year prior to enrollment, or history of active tuberculosis infection more than 1 year prior without receiving formal treatment. 16. Active hepatitis B (HBV DNA ≥ 2,000 IU/mL or 10,000 copies/mL) or hepatitis C (positive HCV antibody test with HCV RNA above the lower limit of detection). 17. Uncontrolled pleural, peritoneal, pelvic, or pericardial effusion requiring drainage ≥ 1 time per month. 18. Known history of substance abuse, alcoholism, or drug use. 19. Inappropriate for inclusion based on the investigator's judgment.
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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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The Fifth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University
RECRUITINGZhuhai, Guangdong, 519099, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Radiation plus targeted antibody tested in older head and neck cancer patients
- Can immunotherapy before surgery shrink head and neck tumors?
- Can an immunotherapy plus radiation outsmart head and neck cancer?
- Cutting radiation after surgery: a new hope for head and neck cancer patients?
- Can a new drug boost radiation's power against head and neck cancer in older patients?
- Could skipping some neck radiation spare patients side effects?