New drug combo targets Hard-to-Treat head and neck cancer
NCT ID NCT07090317
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial tests two drugs, Iparomlimab and Tuvonralimab, in 30 adults with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer that has not responded to at least two prior treatments. Participants receive the drugs by IV every 21 days. The main goal is to see if the combination can shrink tumors.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Iparomlimab and Tuvonralimab (drugs given by IV infusion every 21 days)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a new treatment option for patients with advanced head and neck cancer who have run out of standard therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drugs may cause side effects or fail to shrink tumors.
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 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2028
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: * Aged 18-75 years, regardless of gender; Histologically or cytologically confirmed recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (with primary tumor sites in the oropharynx, oral cavity, hypopharynx, and larynx), with clinical or radiological progression after receiving 2 or more lines of anti-tumor systemic therapy in the recurrent or metastatic stage; ECOG performance status of 0 or 1; Expected survival period ≥ 12 weeks; At least one measurable lesion according to RECIST 1.1 criteria. Lesions that have undergone previous radiotherapy can be used as measurable lesions if disease progression occurs; Availability of tumor tissue for PD-L1 detection (paraffin-embedded specimens within 2 years or fresh tumor tissue); For patients with oropharyngeal cancer, the P16 detection status, determined by IHC method; Normal function of major organs within 2 weeks before treatment, meeting the following criteria: Bone marrow function: Hemoglobin ≥ 100g/L, white blood cell count ≥ 4.0×10\^9/L or neutrophil count ≥ 2.0×10\^9/L, and platelet count ≥ 100×10\^9/L without blood transfusion or colony-stimulating factor support; Liver function: Serum total bilirubin level ≤ 1.5 times the upper limit of normal, aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) ≤ 1.5 times the upper limit of normal; Renal function: Serum creatinine level \< 1.5 times the upper limit of normal or creatinine clearance rate ≥ 60ml/min, and blood urea nitrogen ≤ 200mg/L; Urinary protein \< +; if urinary protein is +, the 24-hour total protein must be \< 500mg; Blood glucose: Within the normal range and/or for diabetic patients, blood glucose is controlled in a stable state during treatment; Cardiac function: No myocardial infarction within 1 year; no unstable angina; no symptomatic severe arrhythmia; no cardiac insufficiency; For women of childbearing age, the serum pregnancy test result must be negative within 7 days before the first administration of the trial drug; males with reproductive capacity or females with the possibility of pregnancy must use highly effective contraceptive methods (such as oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices, abstinence, or barrier contraception combined with spermicides) throughout the trial, and continue contraception for 12 months after the end of treatment. Subjects voluntarily participate in this study, sign the informed consent form, have good compliance, and cooperate with follow-up; Patients whom doctors believe can benefit from the treatment. Exclusion Criteria: * Tumors outside the oropharynx, larynx, hypopharynx, or oral cavity; Previous treatment with anti-CTLA-4 drugs; Central nervous system metastasis and/or carcinomatous meningitis; Patients with hearing loss ≥ grade 2 or neuropathy ≥ grade 2 who are currently receiving anti-tumor treatment; Patients who participated in or are participating in other drug/therapy clinical trials within 4 weeks before the first administration of the study drug; Patients who received hematopoietic stimulating factors (such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), erythropoietin, etc.) within 1 week before the first administration of the study drug; Positive results of HIV antibody or Treponema pallidum antibody tests; Patients with active hepatitis B or hepatitis C: If HBsAg or HBcAb is positive, additional HBV DNA testing is required (with the test result higher than the upper limit of the normal range); If HCV antibody test result is positive, additional HCV RNA testing is required (with the test result higher than the upper limit of the normal range); Active lung diseases (interstitial pneumonia, pneumonia, obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma) or a history of active pulmonary tuberculosis; Having any uncontrollable clinical problems, including but not limited to: Persistent or active (severe) infections; Poorly controlled diabetes; Cardiac diseases (New York Heart Association class III/IV congestive heart failure or heart block); The following conditions occurring within 6 months before the first administration: deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism; myocardial infarction; severe or unstable arrhythmia or angina pectoris; percutaneous coronary intervention, acute coronary syndrome, coronary artery bypass grafting; cerebrovascular accident, transient ischemic attack, cerebral embolism; Large amounts of pleural effusion or ascites with clinical symptoms requiring symptomatic treatment; Patients who concurrently used cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inhibitors within one week before screening; A history of stem cell transplantation or organ transplantation; Patients with a history of psychoactive substance abuse who are unable to abstain or a history of mental disorders; Other severe, acute or chronic medical diseases or laboratory test abnormalities that the researcher judges may increase the risks related to study participation or interfere with the interpretation of study results; Patients judged by the researcher to have poor compliance, or other conditions that make them unsuitable for participating in this trial; A history of other malignant tumors within 5 years, except for cured basal cell carcinoma of the skin, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, early-stage prostate cancer, and carcinoma in situ of the cervix.
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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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