Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy With Nimotuzumab for High Risk Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Currently, although NCCN(National Comprehensive Cancer Network) guidelines recommend induction chemotherapy combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy as IIA level-evidenced treatment for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (stage II-IVa),there is still about 20-30% of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma experienced recurrence and metastasis after radical treatment.

Our previous results showed that patients with plasma Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) DNA> 0 copy/mL or stable disease/progressive disease(SD/PD) after induction chemotherapy had a significantly higher risk of disease progression than patients with plasma EBV DNA=0 copy/mL and complete response/partial response(CR/PR),according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). As for these high-risk patients, the urgent clinical problem to be solved is whether increased treatment intensity during concurrent chemoradiotherapy can improve their survival rates.

Epidermal growth factor (EGFR) is an important therapeutic target for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Multiple retrospective studies have shown that chemoradiotherapy combined with the EGFR blocker nimotuzumab improved the survival rate of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma compared with chemoradiotherapy alone. However, phase II randomized clinical trial about the incorporation of nimotuzumab into concurrent chemoradiotherapy is still limited.

This is the first phase II randomized clinical trial of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with or without Nimotuzumab for high risk locally advanced NPC patients, determining whether concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab can improve the survival rate of high-risk patients and may provide new evidence for individualized comprehensive treatment of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18-70, regardless of sex.
• Patients with newly histologically confirmed non-keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma with positive EGFR expression, type of WHO II or III, clinical stage II-IVa (according to the 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer[AJCC] edition)
• Patients with plasma EBV DNA> 0 copy/mL or SD/PD according to RECIST after two cycle induction chemotherapy
• ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) score: 0-1
• Women in their reproductive years should ensure that they use contraception during the study period.
• Hemoglobin (HGB) ≥90 g/L, white blood cell (WBC) ≥4×109 /L, platelet (PLT) ≥100×109 /L.
• Liver function: Alanine transaminase(ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase(AST)< 2.5 times the upper limit of normal value (ULN), total bilirubin <2.0×ULN.
• Renal function: serum creatinine <1.5×ULN
• Patients must sign informed consent and be willing and able to comply with the requirements of visits, treatment, laboratory tests and other research requirements stipulated in the research schedule;

Exclusion criteria

• Histologically confirmed keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma (WHO I)
• Receiving radiotherapy or chemotherapy or targeted therapy previously
• Women of child-bearing potential who are pregnant or breastfeeding because of the potentially dangerous effects of the preparative chemotherapy on the fetus or infant.
• Suffered from other malignant tumors (except the cure of basal cell carcinoma or uterine cervical carcinoma in situ) previously.
• Patients with significantly lower heart, liver, lung, kidney and bone marrow function.
• Severe, uncontrolled medical conditions and infections.
• At the same time using other test drugs or in other clinical trials.
• Refusal or inability to sign informed consent to participate in the trial.
• Other treatment contraindications.
• Emotional disturbance or mental illness, no civil capacity or limited capacity for civil conduct.