New combo therapy may let some esophageal cancer patients skip major surgery

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Cohort A - Potentially resectable ESCC: Inclusion Criteria： 1. Age range: 18-80 years old; 2. Patients diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) through histopathological examination of biopsy tissues from the primary tumor; 3. Patients with potentially resectable esophageal cancer confirmed by imaging and endoscopic examinations (T1b-3, N0, M0, with a tumor size not exceeding 5 cm and occupying less than 2/3 of the luminal circumference); Patients who have not received any antitumor treatment, including but not limited to surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy; 4. Patients with a preoperative Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status score of 0 or 1; 5. Patients with a preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification of I-III; 6. Female patients of reproductive age should have a negative pregnancy test and be willing to use effective contraceptive methods during the study period; 7. Patients who have signed the informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with potential tracheoesophageal fistula or aortoesophageal fistula; 2. Patients with severe malnutrition or requiring tube feeding; 3. Patients with other malignancies that have not been cured within the past 2 years (except for cured basal cell carcinoma of the skin and cured carcinoma in situ of the cervix); 4. Patients with active autoimmune diseases or a history of autoimmune diseases or symptoms that require systemic corticosteroid treatment or anti-autoimmune drug therapy; 5. Immunocompromised patients, or patients who are still receiving systemic steroids (prednisone \> 10 mg/day or equivalent) or other forms of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days before the first dose of neoadjuvant therapy in this study; 6. Patients with active infections requiring systemic treatment within 7 days before the first neoadjuvant therapy in this study; 7. Patients with a history of allogeneic organ or stem cell transplantation; 8. Patients with allergies to drugs or related components involved in this study; 9. Patients who are currently participating in any other clinical study. Cohort B - Surgery-contraindicated ESCC: Inclusion Criteria: 1. Individuals aged above 18 years; 2. Patients diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through histopathological examination of biopsy tissues from the primary tumor; 3. Patients with esophageal cancer deemed as surgically contraindicated (including those with cervical esophageal cancer, surgical contraindications, those who refuse surgery, or those considered high-risk for esophagectomy, defined as having at least one of the following characteristics: (1) age over 75 years, (2) Charlson comorbidity index \>= 2, (3) presence of moderate lung dysfunction, (4) malnutrition (with a body mass index below 18 kg/m\^2)), with a clinical staging of cT1b-3N0M0, a tumor size not exceeding 5 cm, and occupying less than 2/3 of the luminal circumference; 4. Patients who have not undergone any antitumor treatment, including but not limited to surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy; 5. Female patients of reproductive age should have a negative pregnancy test and be willing to adopt effective contraceptive measures during the study period; 6. Patients who have signed the informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with allergies to the drugs or related components involved in this study; 2. Patients who are currently participating in any other clinical study.