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NCT Number: NCT07126119

Neoadjuvant Tislelizumab in Combination With Nab-Paclitaxel for UTUC

This study is designed as an open-label, single-arm, single center, phase II clinical trial, aiming to evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant Tislelizumab combined with Nab-Paclitaxel for patients with non-metastatic upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTC). Patients enrolled will receive 2-3 cycles of Tislelizumab in combination with Nab-Paclitaxel every 3 weeks and then undergo radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). The assessment of efficacy is based on the histology of specimen from RNU, and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) will be recorded and evaluated according to CTCAE 5.0.

Recruiting

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Males or females aged no less than 18 years old;
  • UTUC indicated by ureteroscopic biopsy and imageological examination (including CT, MRI, or PET-CT), without evidences of metastasis in chest CT scan and abdominal CT scan (T1-4N0-2M0); High risk disease confirmed in accordance with the EAU guidelines.
  • Histologically confirmed urothelial carcinoma or urothelial carcinoma as the major pathological component >50% in the specimen from ureteroscopic biopsy;
  • Suitable and planned to receive RNU.
  • Expected survival time of more than 12 weeks;
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status of 0-2;

6.Agree to provide blood, urine, and tissue samples (for testing PD-L1 expression, HER-2, tumor mutation burden, etc.); 7.The organ function levels must meet the following requirements: Hematological indicators: Absolute neutrophil count ≥1.5×10^9/L, platelet count ≥80×10^9/L, hemoglobin ≥6.0 g/dL (can be maintained through symptomatic treatment); Liver function: Total bilirubin ≤1.5 times the upper limit of normal, alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase ≤2.5 times the upper limit of normal; Renal function: Baseline ECT renography indicates a total renal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ≥15 ml/min.

8.Participants are willing to join the study and be able to sign and comply the protocol.

Exclusion criteria

  • Concurrent primary malignancies in other sites are excluded, except for those with a history of other malignancies that have been treated and are currently stable.
  • Confirmed bilateral upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).
  • Presence of urothelial carcinoma in bladder is excluded, except for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer that can be completely resected via transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT).
  • Received a live attenuated vaccine within 4 weeks before treatment or plan to receive during the study period;
  • Active, known or suspected history of autoimmune disease;
  • Known history of primary immunodeficiency;
  • Known history of allogeneic organ transplantation and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation;
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding female patients;
  • Untreated acute or chronic active Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C infection. Patients receiving antiviral therapy may be eligible if viral load is under monitored, at the discretion of the physician based on the patient's individual condition;
  • Receiving immunosuppressive medication within 4 weeks prior to starting treatment, except nasal, inhaled, topical steroids, or systemic corticosteroids at physiological doses (i.e., not exceeding 10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent dose of other corticosteroids);
  • Known or suspected allergy to Tislelizumab or Nab-Paclitaxel;
  • Active tuberculosis;
  • Previous treatment with PD-1/PD-L1/CTLA-4 immune checkpoint inhibitors or other immunotherapies;
  • Participation in another clinical study;
  • Fertile men or women without effective contraception;
  • Uncontrolled concurrent illness, including but not limited to:

(1)HIV infection (HIV antibodies positive); (2)Uncontrolled severe infection; (3)Uncontrolled systemic disease (such as severe psychiatric, neurological disorders, epilepsy or dementia, unstable or uncompensated respiratory, cardiovascular, liver, or kidney disease, uncontrolled hypertension [i.e., hypertension of CTCAE grade 2 or higher despite treatment]); (4)Active hemorrhage or newly developed thrombotic disease. (5)Renal failure with CKD grade 5 and undergoing dialysis treatment.

Treatment and study plan

Nab-paclitaxel

Drug

Nab-Paclitaxel 125mg/m^2 IV will be administered on Day 1 every 3 weeks for 2-3 cycles

Tislelizumab

Drug

Tislelizumab 200mg iv will be administered on Day 1 every 3 weeks for 2-3 cycles.

Radical nephroureterectomy (RNU)

Procedure

Radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) will conducted after the completion of neoadjuvant therapy.

Primary outcomes

  1. Pathological Complete Response (pCR)

    Time frame: At the time of radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) completed (within 14 weeks of the treatment initiated)

    Defined as no residual tumor in the specimen from radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs)

    Time frame: From neoadjuvant treatment initiation to 90 days after the last cycle of treatment.

    Defined as adverse events that related to neoadjuvant therapy, occurring from the start of treatment (C1D1) to 90 days after the completion of the last dose, including type, incidence rate, and severity grading (assessed according to the NCI-CTCAE V5.0 criteria).

  2. Pathological Downstaging (pDS)

    Time frame: At the time of radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) completed (within 14 weeks of the treatment initiated)

    Defined as a reduction in the pathological T stage and N stage of the radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) specimen compared to the clinical T stage and N stage assessed at baseline.

  3. Objective Response (OR)

    Time frame: After completion of neoadjuvant therapy and before RNU (9 weeks).

    Defined as the achievement of partial response (PR) or complete response (CR) based on RECIST 1.1 criteria, as assessed by imaging studies after neoadjuvant therapy (prior to RNU).

  4. Events-Free Survival (EFS)

    Time frame: up to 5 years

    Defined as the time from treatment initiated to the first occurrence of delayed surgical disease progression, local tumor recurrence (including recurrence in the upper urinary tract and bladder, excluding non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer that can be resected by TURBT), distant metastasis, or death from any cause. The study will record the 1-, 2-, and 5-year EFS rates for the target population. Kaplan-Meier methods will be used to estimate the median EFS and 95% confidence interval limits, and Kaplan-Meier curves will be constructed to provide descriptive information on EFS.

  5. Overall Survival (OS)

    Time frame: up to 5 years

    Defined as the time from treatment initiated to death from any cause. The study will record the 1-, 2-, and 5-year OS rates for the target population. Kaplan-Meier methods will be used to estimate the median OS and 95% confidence interval limits, and Kaplan-Meier curves will be constructed to provide descriptive information on survival.

  6. Recurrence-Free Survival (RFS)

    Time frame: up to 5 years

    Defined as the time from treatment initiated to the first occurrence of tumor recurrence (including recurrence in the upper urinary tract and bladder, excluding non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer that can be removed by TURBT). The study will record the 1-, 2-, and 5-year RFS rates for the target population. Kaplan-Meier methods will be used to estimate the median RFS and 95% confidence interval limits, and Kaplan-Meier curves will be constructed to provide descriptive information on RFS.

  7. Cancer-Specific Survival (CSS)

    Time frame: up to 5 years

    Defined as the time from enrollment to death caused by the tumor. The study will record the 1-, 2-, and 5-year CSS rates for the target population. Kaplan-Meier methods will be used to estimate the median CSS and 95% confidence interval limits, and Kaplan-Meier curves will be constructed to provide descriptive information on CSS.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Hailong Hu

CONTACT

[email protected]

+86 13662096232

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Tianjin Medical University Second Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Neoadjuvant Tislelizumab in Combination With Nab-Paclitaxel for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: An Open-Label, Single-Center, Single-Arm, Phase II Clinical Trial (TRUCE-U02)

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2030
First posted
Aug 17, 2025
Registry last updated
Aug 17, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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