New drug combo for cervical cancer shows early promise, but trial halted
NCT ID NCT04651127
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase trial tested a combination of two drugs—toripalimab (an immunotherapy) and chidamide (a targeted therapy)—in women with advanced cervical cancer that had spread or returned. Only 5 participants were enrolled before the study was terminated. The goal was to see if the combination was safe and could shrink tumors, but results are too limited to draw firm conclusions.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- toripalimab (an immunotherapy drug) and chidamide (a targeted drug)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this combination could offer a new treatment option for advanced cervical cancer that has not responded to standard therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This was a very early, small trial (only 5 participants) that was terminated, so results are limited. The combination may cause significant side effects and may not prove effective in larger studies.
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 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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5 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2020
- Finished
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Jan 2023
- 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 70 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- 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. Signed Informed Consent Form (ICF). 2. Patients must have histologically confirmed diagnosis of metastatic, recurrent or persistent squamous cell carcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma, or adenocarcinoma of the cervix which is not amenable to curative treatment with surgery and/or radiation therapy. 3. Age ≥ 18 years and ≤ 70 years. 4. Patients must have measurable disease per RECIST v1.1; measurable lesions are defined as those that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded as ≥ 10 mm with computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); a lymph node must be ≥ 15 mm in short axis. Tumors within a previously irradiated field will be designated as "non-target" lesions unless progression is documented or a biopsy is obtained to confirm persistence at least 90 days following completion of radiation therapy. 5. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1. 6. Life expectancy exceeds 3 months. 7. Patients must have progressed on at least one line of platinum-based systemic therapy. Note: Prior adjuvant therapy is NOT counted as a systemic chemotherapeutic regimen for management of recurrent, persistent or metastatic cervical cancer. However, adjuvant chemotherapy could be counted as one prior regimen in patients who had recurrence during or within 6 months of completion of therapy. 8. Patients must have adequate organ function as defined by the following criteria: * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) (≥ 1.5×10\^9/L), hemoglobin of ≥ 90 g/L, platelets ≥ 80 ×10\^9/L * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN) * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.5 × ULN (however, patients with known liver metastasis who have AST or ALT level ≤ 5 × ULN may be enrolled) * Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 × ULN or creatinine clearance rate ≥ 60 ml/min (Cockcroft-Gault formula) * Baseline albumin ≥ 28 g/L * Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels ≤ 1 × ULN (however, patients with free Triiodothyronine \[FT3\] or free Thyroxine \[FT4\] levels ≤ 1 × ULN may be enrolled) Exclusion Criteria: 1. Prior exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors, including but not limited to other anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies, or prior exposure to HDAC inhibitors. 2. Any condition requiring systemic treatment with corticosteroids (\>10 mg daily prednisone or equivalents) or other immunosuppressive medications within 14 days before first dose of study drug. Corticosteroids for topical use, nasal spray, and inhaled steroids are allowed. 3. Active autoimmune diseases that require systemic treatment. Alternative treatments (such as thyroxine, insulin, or physiological corticosteroids for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency) are permitted. 4. Clinically significant cardiovascular diseases, including but not limited to congestive heart failure (New York heart association \[NYHA\] class \> 2), unstable or severe angina, severe acute myocardial infarction within 1 year before enrollment, supraventricular or ventricular arrhythmia which need medical intervention, or QT interval male ≥ 450 ms, female ≥ 470 ms. 5. Arterial or venous thrombosis within 6 months before enrollment 6. Uncontrolled hypertension defined as systolic pressure ≥ 160 mmHg and/or diastolic pressure ≥ 100 mmHg despite antihypertensive drugs. 7. Proteinuria ≥ (++) or 24 hours total urine protein \> 1.0 g. 8. Coagulation abnormalities (INR \> 2.0, PT \> 16s), with bleeding tendency or are receiving thrombolytic or anticoagulant therapy. 9. Has known active central nervous system metastases. 10. Patients had a diagnosed and/or treated additional malignancy within the last 5 years. Exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or in situ cervical cancer that has undergone potentially curative therapy. 11. Has a known history of immunodeficiency including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or other acquired or congenital immune-deficient disease. 12. Has known active Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Centre
Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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