New cocktail aims to shrink head and neck tumors before surgery
NCT ID NCT07457346
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial tests a new combination of drugs—imaxitinib, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy—given before surgery for advanced head and neck cancer. The goal is to see if this approach can shrink tumors more effectively, making surgery easier or possible for patients whose cancer is hard to remove. About 76 participants will receive the treatment and be monitored for tumor response and side effects.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- imaxitinib (a JAK inhibitor) combined with chemotherapy (cisplatin, nab-paclitaxel) and immunotherapy (adebrelimab)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this combination could shrink advanced head and neck tumors before surgery, potentially making surgery easier or possible for more patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (76 people) with no results yet. The drug combo may cause side effects or not work better than current treatments.
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 76 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2030
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. ECOG Performance Status of 0-1. 2. Histologically and/or cytologically confirmed Stage III-IVA head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx). 3. Classified according to the Asia-Pacific multidisciplinary consensus (Y.Guo et al., Oral Oncol 2024): * Cohort A: Resectable\*\* (amenable to upfront surgery): T2N2-3M0, T3-4N0-2M0 (AJCC 8th edition). * Cohort B: Potentially Resectable:\*\* Cases with relative contraindications to surgery (e.g., cervical lesion directly invading skin, anterior 2/3 tongue tumor extending below the hyoid level, extension to the vallecula) or where surgery would cause significant disfigurement/functional loss, requiring discussion by an MDT (head \& neck surgery, radiology) to weigh risks vs. non-surgical options. * Cohort C: Unresectable: Tumor extensively invading skull base, extending to nasopharynx/deep nasopharyngeal wall, invading/encasing carotid artery, extending to mediastinal structures, prevertebral fascia, or cervical spine; T3-4 (N0-3) or any N2a-3 (T1-4) M0 (AJCC 8th edition). 4. Biomarker: Peripheral blood flow cytometry analysis showing that PD-1+TIM-3+CD8+ exhausted T cells account for \>10% of CD8+ T cells. 5. Adequate baseline organ function within 14 days prior to enrollment: * Hematological: White Blood Cell count (WBC) ≥4000/μL, Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) ≥2000/μL, Hemoglobin (HGB) ≥9 g/dL, Platelet count (PLT) ≥100,000/μL. * Renal: Serum creatinine \<1.5 times the Upper Limit of Normal (ULN) OR Creatinine Clearance (CrCl) \>60 mL/min (calculated by Cockcroft-Gault formula). * Hepatic: Total bilirubin ≤1.5x ULN (except subjects with Gilbert's syndrome, who may have total bilirubin \<3x ULN); Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) / Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) ≤3x ULN; Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) ≤3x ULN; Albumin (ALB) ≥3 g/dL. 6. Ability to understand and willingness to sign the Informed Consent Form. Subjects must be willing and able to comply with the protocol, including receiving treatments and scheduled visits/examinations, including follow-up. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Prior treatment with immunotherapy (anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2, or anti-CTLA-4 agents) or JAK inhibitors. History of severe allergic reactions to any component of monoclonal antibodies. 2. Active autoimmune disease or condition requiring immunosuppressive therapy. Subjects requiring systemic corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs prior to enrollment. 3. History of other active malignancies or active infections (including tuberculosis and hepatitis); uncontrolled infections (HIV, HBV, HCV). 4. Severe cardiac or pulmonary dysfunction, including severe cardiac insufficiency (e.g., NYHA Class III or higher) or severe pulmonary dysfunction (e.g., FEV1 \<50% predicted); history of thrombotic diseases, coagulation disorders (Prothrombin Time (PT) \>16 seconds, Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) \>53 seconds, Thrombin Time (TT) \>21 seconds, Fibrinogen (FIB) \<1.5 g/L), bleeding tendency, or current thrombolytic/anticoagulant therapy. 5. Pregnant or lactating women. Subjects unwilling to use effective contraception during the study period.
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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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2nd Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine
RECRUITINGHangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, 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?
- Can a One-Two punch of immunotherapy and radiation wipe out head and neck tumors before surgery?