New drug cocktail aims to stop head and neck cancer from coming back
NCT ID NCT07632339
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This Phase II trial tests whether giving a combination of two drugs—Becotatug Vedotin (a targeted chemotherapy) and Pucotenlimab (an immunotherapy)—before and after surgery can improve outcomes for people with recurrent head and neck cancer that can still be removed. About 102 participants will either receive the drug combo then surgery, or surgery alone followed by standard care. The main goal is to see if the combo helps patients live longer without the cancer returning.
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 chemotherapy) combined with Pucotenlimab (an immunotherapy)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this combination could become a new standard approach to shrink tumors before surgery and reduce the chance of cancer returning in patients with recurrent head and neck cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a Phase II trial with only 102 participants, so results are preliminary. The combination may cause significant side effects, and not all patients may benefit—some might still need standard treatment after surgery.
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 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 102 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2029
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: * Age between 18 and 75 years, inclusive, regardless of sex; Histologically or cytologically confirmed locally recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) that is amenable to curative surgical resection. Patients must not have received any prior systemic antineoplastic therapy for the recurrent disease. (Note: Prior systemic therapy as part of a multimodality treatment for locally advanced disease is permitted, provided that ≥6 months have elapsed from the completion of such therapy to the signing of the informed consent form); Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1; Estimated life expectancy ≥12 weeks; At least one measurable lesion according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1. Previously irradiated lesions may be considered measurable if disease progression has been documented at the site; Availability of tumor tissue for PD-L1 testing (paraffin-embedded specimens collected within 2 years or fresh tumor tissue); Adequate organ function, defined as follows (assessed within 14 days prior to the first dose of the investigational product): Bone Marrow: Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1.5×10⁹/L, platelets (PLT) ≥100×10⁹/L, hemoglobin (HB) ≥9 g/dL (no blood transfusions or blood component therapy within 14 days prior to screening); Liver \& Kidney: Serum total bilirubin (TBIL) ≤1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤2.5 × ULN (if hepatic metastasis is present, AST and ALT ≤5 × ULN are allowed). Serum creatinine ≤1.5 × ULN and calculated creatinine clearance ≥50 mL/min (using the Cockcroft-Gault formula); Coagulation: International Normalized Ratio (INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) ≤1.5 × ULN (applies only to patients not receiving anticoagulant therapy; patients on anticoagulants must be within the therapeutic range); Thyroid Function: Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) ≤1 × ULN (if TSH is abnormal, free triiodothyronine \[FT3\] and free thyroxine \[FT4\] levels must be evaluated; enrollment is permitted if FT3 and FT4 are within normal limits); Urinary Protein: Urine dipstick protein ≤1+. If urine dipstick protein is \>1+, a 24-hour urine collection is required, and the total protein must be ≤1 g/day; Cardiac Function: Normal cardiac function, defined as a normal electrocardiogram (ECG) or ECG abnormalities with no clinical significance, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \>50% as determined by echocardiography. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test prior to the first dose of the investigational product; Sexually active men and women of childbearing potential must use highly effective contraception (e.g., oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices, sexual abstinence, or barrier methods combined with spermicides) throughout the entire study period and for 90 days after the end of treatment; The patient voluntarily agrees to participate in the study, signs the informed consent form, demonstrates good compliance, and agrees to cooperate with follow-up visits. Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of distant metastases or local lesions without surgical indications (Stage IVb or IVc); Disease progression occurring within 6 months following systemic therapy for locally advanced HNSCC; Re-irradiation to the head and neck region (including cervical, supraclavicular, and infraclavicular lymph nodes) within 6 months prior to enrollment; Prior treatment with PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2/CTLA-4 antibodies, or agents targeting activating or inhibitory receptors on T cells (e.g., OX40, CD137); Prior treatment with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) bearing an MMAE payload; Participation in any other drug/treatment clinical trial within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of the investigational product, or currently participating in another trial; major surgery, unresolving adverse effects from prior surgery, live vaccines, or immunotherapy within 4 weeks prior to the first dose; radiotherapy within 2 weeks prior to the first dose; concurrent receipt of any other antineoplastic therapy; Any active autoimmune disease or history of autoimmune disease (including but not limited to: autoimmune hepatitis, interstitial pneumonitis, uveitis, enteritis, hepatitis, hypophysitis, vasculitis, nephritis, hyperthyroidism). Exceptions: Vitiligo not requiring systemic therapy is permitted; childhood asthma that has completely resolved and requires no intervention in adulthood is permitted. Asthma requiring medical intervention with bronchodilators is not permitted; Current use of immunosuppressants or systemic corticosteroids for immunosuppressive purposes (at doses \>10 mg/day prednisone equivalent or equivalent efficacy) that are still being used within 2 weeks prior to enrollment; History of other malignancies within the past 5 years, except for adequately treated basal cell carcinoma of the skin, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, early-stage prostate cancer, and carcinoma in situ of the cervix; Active pulmonary diseases (interstitial pneumonitis, pneumonia, obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma) or a history of active pulmonary tuberculosis; Any uncontrolled clinical conditions, including but not limited to: Persistent or active (severe) infections; Poorly controlled hypertension (persistent blood pressure \>150/90 mmHg); Poorly controlled diabetes mellitus; Cardiac diseases (New York Heart Association \[NYHA\] Class III/IV congestive heart failure or cardiac conduction blocks); Occurrence of any of the following within 6 months prior to the first dose: deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE); myocardial infarction; severe or unstable arrhythmias or angina; percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG); cerebrovascular accident (CVA), transient ischemic attack (TIA), or cerebral embolism; History of psychoactive substance abuse that cannot be discontinued, or a history of psychiatric disorders; Any other severe, acute, or chronic medical condition, or laboratory abnormalities that, in the investigator's judgment, may increase the risks associated with study participation or interfere with the interpretation of study results; Poor compliance, or any other circumstances that, in the investigator's judgment, render the patient unsuitable for participation in this trial.
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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 Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGShanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200011, China
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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