Preoperative chemoradiotherapy plus pembrolizumab for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ACTS-29).

TPS4213 Background: Locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is indicated for multi-modalities treatment strategies, including a neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery. While the CROSS trial established neoadjuvant CRT as a standard of care, distant metastasis remains a significant cause of treatment failure. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated survival benefits in advanced or metastatic ESCC, and adjuvant nivolumab has shown efficacy following neoadjuvant CRT in locally advanced ESCC. Integrating ICI earlier in the treatment sequence through total neoadjuvant therapy may enhance the immune response against the primary tumor and the hidden metastases and potentially lead to improved survival outcomes. This phase II study evaluates induction immunochemotherapy followed by CRT before surgery in locally advanced ESCC. Methods: This is a single-center, single-arm, phase II study enrolling 50 patients with histologically confirmed ESCC (T3/4aN0M0 or T1-4aN1-3M0 according to the AJCC Cancer Staging System 8th ed). Eligible patients must have primary intrathoracic esophageal tumor ≤10 cm in length and ≤5 cm in radial diameter, an ECOG performance status of 0-1, and adequate organ function. Patients will receive induction immunochemotherapy consisting of tislelizumab (200 mg every 3 weeks), paclitaxel (175 mg/m² every 3 weeks), and cisplatin (75 mg/m² every 3 weeks) for two cycles. This is followed by CRT consisting of radiotherapy (45 Gy in 25 fractions, 1.8 Gy/day, 5 days/week) plus chemotherapy with weekly paclitaxel (50 mg/m²) and cisplatin (30 mg/m²) for 5 weeks. Esophagectomy will be performed 6 to 8 weeks after completing CRT. The primary endpoint is pathologic complete response (pCR) rate, defined as no residual tumor in the resected primary site and lymph nodes. We hypothesize that the pCR rate will increase from 35% (the historical control) to 55%. Based on a binomial precision design, the study is of 80% power and a unilateral α error of 0.05 to detect a statistically significant difference in pCR rate. Secondary endpoints include major pathological response rate, R0 resection rate, disease-free survival, event-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, overall survival and safety. The study starts patient enrollment in March 2025 (registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT06764355). Clinical trial information: NCT06764355 .

Objective To explore the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma ( ESCC), and to investigate the correlation between a clinical complete response ( cCR) and a pathologic complete response ( pCR). Methods One hundred and fifty-eight patients with locally advanced thoracic ESCC from 2001 to 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. Platinum-based chemotherapy regimens were adopted in chemotherapy and a prescribed dose of 40 Gy in 20 fractions, 5 fractions per week, was used in radiotherapy. The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and pairwise comparisons and univariate prognostic analyses were performed using the log-rank test. Multivariable prognostic analyses were performed using the Cox regression model. Results The pCR rate was 41. 1% in all patients. After the treatment with neoadjuvant CRT, 32(72. 7% ) out of 44 patients with a cCR had a pCR, but only 33(28.9%) out of 114 patients with a non-cCR had a pCR (P = 0. 000 ). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of a cCR in predicting a pCR were 49.2%, 87.1%, 72.7%, and 71. 1%, respectively. The 3-year sample size was 91. The 3-year OS and DFS rates in all patients were 53. 9% and 48.6%, respectively. Patients with a cCR had significantly higher 3-year OS and DFS rates than those with a non-cCR (P =0. 012;P =0. 026), while patients with a pCR had significantly higher 3-year OS and DFS rates than those with a non-pCR (P =0. 000 ; P = 0. 000). The multivariate analyses demonstrated that the pathologic response after CRT and chemotherapy regimen were the influencing factors for OS. The most common grade acute adverse reaction was leucopenia (34.2%). Conclusions With a high pCR rate and tolerable adverse reactions, neoadjuvant CRT followed by surgery is a safe and effective option for locally advanced ESCC. The cCR rate after CRT is closely correlated with the pCR and OS rates. Key words: Esophageal neoplasms/neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy; Clinical complete response; Pathologic complete response; Prognosis

Adding immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to the chemotherapy has shown significant clinical benefits in neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Sintilimab is one such ICI used for treatment. Herein, we designed a trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sintilimab combined with paclitaxel and platinum for locally advanced resectable ESCC. Patients with locally advanced resectable (stage II-III) ESCC were enrolled and received at least two cycles of neoadjuvant therapy with sintilimab (200 mg on day 1) plus platinum-based chemotherapy in each 3-week cycle followed by esophagectomy. The primary endpoint of the trial was the pathological complete response (pCR) rate. The secondary endpoints were the major pathological response (MPR) rate, the objective response rate (ORR), the treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), the immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and quality of life (QOL). Besides, relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS) were exploratory endpoints. Forty-three cases were needed to be enrolled in this trial. It was assumed the regimen of the neoadjuvant sintilimab plus chemotherapy would achieve a pCR rate of 30.5%. Between March 2021 and January 2023, a total of 43 patients (41 men and 2 women) were enrolled, including 11 cases (25.6%) of clinical stage II and 32 cases (74.4%) of clinical stage III at baseline. All the 43 patients completed two cycles of neoadjuvant therapy, and 32 patients received McKeown radical resection for esophageal cancer. The pCR rate was 28.1% (9/32), which was below the 30.5% reference cutoff value, and the MPR rate was 37.5% (12/32). According to RECIST 1.1, four patients (4/43, 9.3%) had a complete response (CR), 21 patients (21/43, 48.8%) had a partial response (PR), ORR was 58.1% (25/43). The incidence of ≥ grade 3 TRAEs was 23.3% (10/43) and there were no ≥ grade 4 TRAEs. Sintilimab plus platinum-based chemotherapy as neoadjuvant therapy is safe, feasible and effective in locally advanced resectable ESCC, suggesting a supportive rationale for its further evaluation in randomized clinical trials. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry identifier: ChiCTR2200056558.

Objective To compare the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in treating locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods We retrospectively analyzed a total of 177 patients who received NCRT (72 patients) or NCT (105 patients) combined with surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from January 2009 to October 2015 in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University. The survival rate was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results Among the 177 patients (clinical stage cT2-4N0-1M0), the 2-and 3-year sample sizes were 44 and 26 in the NCRT group, and 47 and 28 in the NCT group. The pathological complete response (pCR) rate was significantly higher in the NCRT group than in the NCT group (22% vs. 10%, P=0.019). There were no significant differences in the incidence of postoperative complications, mortality, and recurrence rate between the two groups (all P>0.05). The 2-and 3-year overall survival rates for the NCRT group were 74% and 51%, versus 64% and 51% for the NCT group (P=0.527); the 2-and 3-year disease-free survival rates for the NCRT group were 54% and 50%, versus 54% and 46% for the NCT group (P=0.379). Conclusions Compared with NCT, NCRT significantly increases the pCR rate without increasing postoperative complications and mortality in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients. However, since the survival rate is similar between the two groups, the efficacy of NCRT and NCT remains to be verified by further prospective, multi-centered, and large-sample studies. Key words: Esophageal neoplasms/chemotherapy; Esophageal neoplasms/chemoraidotherapy; Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy; Prognosis

e16116 Background: Neoajuvant chemoradiation is the standard treatment for resectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown a survival benefit for advanced ESCC and showed promising efficacy in neoadjuvant treatment for several cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) combined with sequential tislelizumab followed by surgery for resectable ESCC. Methods: This is a single-arm, phase Ib study. Eligibility criteria include histologically confirmed ESCC and clinical T3-4aN0M0 or T2-4aN+M0 (AJCC/UICC 8th). Patients received neoadjuvant radiotherapy (41.4Gy in 23 fractions) with concurrent chemotherapy (paclitaxel, 50 mg/m2, carboplatin area under the curve of 2mg/mL/min, QW*5). Then followed by two cycles of tislelizumab (200mg, Q3W). The primary endpoint was the pathological complete response (pCR) rate and safety. Results: From Feb 2022 to Jan 2024, 35 patients had been enrolled, of whom the median age was (65.5 (95%CI, 59-67), including 31 (88.6%) males. 12 patients were still undergoing chemoradiotherapy and 2 patients did not receive immunotherapy due to pneumonia and myocarditis after chemoradiotherapy. 16 patients completed all 2 cycles tislelizumab preoperatively and 5 patients completed 1 cycle tislelizumab because of AEs. Two patients refused surgery after achieved complete clinical response under radiology and were still alive, the other 19 patients underwent resection. The R0 resection rate was 94.7% (18/19). The pCR rate was 63.2% (12/19) and the MPR rate was 78.9% (15/19). During neoadjuvant treatment, 8 patients had a grade 3 or worse adverse event including leukopenia (33.3%, 7/21, Grade 3), esophagitis (4.8%, 1/21, Grade 3) and anemia (4.8%, 1/20, Grade 4). One patient developed grade 4 postoperative complication (5.3%, 1/19, pneumonia) and died within 90 days of surgery due to COVID-19. Grade 1-2 postoperative complications occurred in 21.1% (4/19) patients, including anastomotic fistula (21.1%, 4/19), chylothorax (5.3%, 1/19) and pneumonia (10.5%, 2/19). Conclusions: Preliminary results showed that neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) combined with sequential tislelizumab showed promising outcomes and well tolerated for resectable ESCC patients. Further larger prospective studies are needed to confirm such findings.

A Comparison of Clinicopathologic Outcomes and Patterns of Lymphatic Spread across Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy and Neoadjuvant Immunochemotherapy in Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

352 Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy followed by radical surgery has been extensively recommended for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, toxicities and challenges to the subsequent surgery limit its wide clinical application. Immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with antiangiogenesis have synergistic effects and have shown good therapeutic effects in previous studies, as well as fewer side effects. Here, we tested a novel combination of anlotinib (an antiangiogenic kinase inhibitor) and penpulimab (an anti-PD-1 antibody), without the use of radio- or chemotherapy, for the neoadjuvant therapy of locally advanced ESCC. Methods: In this prospective, single-arm, phase II clinical trial (ChiCTR2200064848), patients(pts) with resectable locally advanced ESCC (clinical stage III-IVa) were recruited. The study was designed using a two-stage minimax approach. The estimated sample size was 40 pts would provide 80% power at a one-sided alpha error of 5%, threshold pathological complete response (pCR) of 16% and expected pCR of 30%. Here, the first-stage data was included. Notably, 85% (22/25) enrolled pts had medical contraindications (including cardiopulmonary diseases or other underlying medical conditions, along with poor nutritional status and so on). Pts received neoadjuvant therapy with anlotinib (8 mg, po, D1-14, Q3W) combined with penpulimab (200 mg, ivgtt, Q3W) for 2 cycles. Six to eight weeks later, pts underwent radical surgery after exclusion of contraindications. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. Secondary endpoints included tumor regression grade (TRG), R0 resection rate, objective response rate (ORR) and safety profile. Results: From Jan 2023 to Sep 2023, 25 pts (19 males and 6 females) were enrolled with a median age of 67 years (range: 50-74). All pts were available for efficacy assessment and 16 were evaluable for the primary end point. The rest of the pts are waiting for surgery. As of 15 Sep 2023, 19 pts underwent esophagectomy and R0 resection rate was 87.5%. The pCR rate was 18.8% (3/16) and 31.3% of pts had a major pathologic response (MPR). The ORR and DCR were 48.0% and 96.0%, respectively. 84.0% of pts experienced grade 1-2 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), 3 (12.0%) pts experienced grade 3 TRAEs (2 elevated blood pressure and 1 elevation of liver enzymes). The safety profile revealed that the most common TRAEs (≥10%) included hypertension (28.0%), hand-foot syndrome (20%), fatigue (20%), abdominal pain (12%), toothache (12%). Conclusions: The preliminary results of this study show promising safety and efficacy of anlotinib combined with penpulimab as neoadjuvant for pts with ESCC, especially for pts not suitable for neoadjuvant chemoradiation or chemotherapy. More ESCC pts would be recruited in the future. Clinical trial information: ChiCTR2200064848 .

410 Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery is the standard of care for resectable locally advanced ESCC. SHR-1701, a new bifunctional fusion protein composed of a monoclonal antibody against PD-L1 fused with the extracellular domain of TGF-β receptor II, may enhance antitumor activity in combination with neoadjuvant standard therapies in ESCC patients (pts). The aim of this phase II trial is to determine the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy plus SHR-1701 followed by esophagectomy in pts with locally advanced resectable ESCC. Methods: Pts with resectable thoracic ESCC, diagnosed as clinical stage of cT1b-cT2N+M0 or cT3-cT4aNxM0 per AJCC 8th were eligible. Preoperative therapy included SHR-1701 (30 mg/kg every 3 weeks for 2 cycles), albumin paclitaxel (50 mg/m 2 , once a week for 5 weeks), carboplatin (AUC=2, once a week for 5 weeks) and radiotherapy (41.4Gy in 23 fractions). Following esophagectomy, pts received SHR-1701 up to 1 year. The primary endpoint was pathological complete response (pCR) rate in the per-protocol population. Secondary endpoints included R0 resection rate, major pathological response (MPR) rate, disease free survival (DFS) and safety. Results: Between Dec. 2021 and Feb. 2023, 43 pts were screened and 41 met the inclusion criteria, among whom the clinical stage I, II, III, and IVa at baseline were 1 (2.4%), 8 (19.5%), 31 (75.6%), and 1 (2.4%), respectively. All 41 pts received neoadjuvant SHR-1701 combined with chemoradiotherapy. As of Mar. 2024, 30 pts underwent surgery, and all achieved R0 resection. There was no in-hospital and postoperative 30-day mortality. 9 (30.0%) pts achieved pCR in both primary tumor and lymph nodes (ypT0N0), and 12 (40.0%) pts had complete pathological response of the primary tumor with residual disease in lymph nodes alone (ypT0N+). Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in all pts, and most of TRAEs were grade 1-2. Notable toxicity included pneumonitis (31.7%) and anastomotic leak (12.2%). Conclusions: The addition of SHR-1701 to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in ESCC demonstrated promising efficacy with acceptable toxicity, and might be a promising approach for neoadjuvant treatment. Clinical trial information: ChiCTR2000041562.

4070 Background: Despite the survival benefit of preoperative chemotherapy (CT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the prognosis remains dismal. With the potential benefit of combining immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) neoadjuvantly, we initiated two phase II single-armed clinical trials to explore the efficacy, feasibility, and safety of esophagectomy following the combination of preoperative PD-1 inhibitor with CT or CRT in ESCC. Methods: A total of 55 patients with histologically confirmed ESCC (clinical stage II-IVA according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th staging system) from two phase 2, single-arm trials underwent neoadjuvant ICIs combined with chemotherapy (nICT) (n=38) (NCT04506138) or chemoradiotherapy (nICRT) (n=17) (NCT03940001) between May 2019 and June 2022 were enrolled. Patients received 2 doses of intravenous PD-1 inhibitor every 3 weeks, combined with 2 cycles of CT or CRT. Data on the pathological complete response (pCR) rates, operative time, blood loss volume, 30-day complications, hospital stay, and 30-day mortality were collected and assessed between these two groups using a multivariable log-binomial regression model to obtain adjusted relative risk ratios. The primary endpoints of the studies were the safety and feasibility of esophagectomy after the combination of preoperative CT or CRT and PD-1 inhibitor. We also evaluated pCR, primary tumor pCR, operation time, postoperative stay, and 30-day mortality. Results: All the included patients successfully completed neoadjuvant therapy. Age, sex, performance status, clinical stage, histologic subtype, procedure type, operative time, and blood loss volume were similar between the two groups. The primary tumor pCR rates were 52.9% in the nICRT group and 21.6% in the nICT group, respectively (p=0.03), while the postoperative pCR rates were 41.2% in the nICRT group and 21.6% in the nICT group, respectively (p=0.19). Minimally invasive surgery was performed in 89.2% (33/37) of the nICT group and 94.1% (16/17) of the nICRT group. The risk of developing pulmonary, anastomotic, or other complications was similar in the two groups. Conclusions: Esophagectomy was safe after the addition of PD-1 inhibitor to preoperative CT or CRT in ESCC neoadjuvant therapies. Follow-up and exploratory endpoints, including biomarker analyses are ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT03940001 ; NCT04506138 .

Background Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy followed by radical surgery has been extensively recommended for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, toxicities and challenges to the subsequent surgery limit its wide clinical application. Immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with antiangiogenesis have synergistic effects and have shown good therapeutic effects in previous studies, as well as fewer side effects. Here, we tested a novel combination of anlotinib (an antiangiogeneic kinase inhibitor) and penpulimab (an anti-PD-1 antibody), without the use of radio- or chemo-therapy, for the neoadjuvant therapy of locally advanced ESCC. Methods In this prospective, single-arm, phase II clinical trial (ChiCTR2200064848), patients with resectable locally advanced ESCC (clinical stage III-IVa) were recruited. The study was designed using a two-stage minimax approach. The planned sample size was 40 patients would provide 80% power at a one-sided alpha error of 5%, threshold pathological complete response (pCR) of 16% and expected pCR of 30%. Here, the first-stage data was included. Notably, 85% (22/25) enrolled patients had medical contraindications (including cardiopulmonary diseases or other underlying medical conditions, along with poor nutritional status and so on). Patients received neoadjuvant therapy with anlotinib (8 mg, po, D1-14, Q3W) combined with penpulimab (200 mg, ivgtt, Q3W) for 2 cycles. Six to eight weeks later, patients underwent radical surgery after exclusion of contraindications. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. Secondary endpoints included tumor regression grade (TRG), R0 resection rate, objective response rate (ORR) and safety profile. Results From Jan 2023 to Sep 2023, 25 patients (19 males and 6 females) were enrolled with a median age of 67 years (range: 50-74). All patients were available for efficacy assessment and 16 were evaluable for the primary end point. The rest of the patients are waiting for surgery. As of 15 Sep, 2023, 19 patients underwent esophagectomy and R0 resection rate was 87.5%. The pCR rate was 18.8% (3/16) and 31.3% of patients had a major pathologic response (MPR). The ORR and DCR were 48.0% and 96.0%, respectively. 84.0% of patients experienced grade 1-2 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), 3 (12.0%) patients experienced grade 3 TRAEs (2 elevated blood pressure and 1 elevation of liver enzymes). The safety profile revealed that the most common TRAEs (≥10%) included hypertension (28.0%), hand-foot syndrome (20%), fatigue (20%), abdominal pain (12%), toothache (12%). Conclusions The preliminary results of this study show promising safety and efficacy of anlotinib combined with penpulimab as neoadjuvant for patients with ESCC, especially for patients not suitable for neoadjuvant chemoradiation or chemotherapy. More ESCC patients would be recruited in the future.

IntroductionImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are effective in the treatment of advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC); however, their efficacy in locally advanced resectable ESCC and the potential predictive biomarkers have limited data.MethodsIn this study, locally advanced resectable ESCC patients were enrolled and received neoadjuvant toripalimab (240 mg, day 1) plus paclitaxel (135 mg/m2, day 1) and carboplatin (area under the curve 5 mg/mL per min, day 1) in each 3-week cycle for 2 cycles, followed by esophagectomy planned 4-6 weeks after preoperative therapy. The primary endpoints were safety, feasibility, and the major pathological response (MPR) rate; the secondary endpoints were the pathological complete response (pCR) rate, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). Association between molecular signatures/tumor immune microenvironment and treatment response was also explored.ResultsTwenty resectable ESCC patients were enrolled. Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) occurred in all patients (100%), and 4 patients (22.2%) experienced grade 3 or higher treatment-related AEs. Sixteen patients underwent surgery without treatment-related surgical delay, and the R0 resection rate was 87.5% (14/16). Among the 16 patients, the MPR rate was 43.8% (7/16) and the pCR rate was 18.8% (3/16). The abundance of CD8+ T cells in surgical specimens increased (P = .0093), accompanied by a decreased proportion of M2-type tumor-associated macrophages (P = .036) in responders upon neoadjuvant therapy. Responders were associated with higher baseline gene expression levels of CXCL5 (P = .03) and lower baseline levels of CCL19 (P = .017) and UMODL1 (P = .03).ConclusionsThe combination of toripalimab plus paclitaxel and carboplatin is safe, feasible, and effective in locally advanced resectable ESCC, indicating its potential as a neoadjuvant treatment for ESCC.Clinical Trial registrationNCT04177797

e16010 Background: Preoperative therapy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is stepping into the era of combined therapy with PD-1 inhibitor after the success of PD-1 antibodies in the first-line and second-line treatment for advanced ESCC. This single center study retrospectively analyzed the efficacy and safety of preoperative chemotherapy combined with PD-1 antibody in patients with locally advanced operable or potentially resectable ESCC in the real world. Methods: The study enrolled operable or potentially resectable locally advanced ESCC patients treated with preoperative chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitor in our center from April 2020 to December 2020. The treatment regimen were 2 to 4 cycles of paclitaxel liposome (135̃175 mg/m2) or albumin paclitaxel (180mg/m2) plus nedaplatin (75mg/m2) or lobaplatin (30mg/m2) combined with PD-1 inhibitors (toripalimab 13/20, sintilimab 3/20, pembrolizumab 2/20, camrelizumab 1/20, tislelizumab 1/20) with standard therapeutic dose followed by tumor response assessment and surgery. The primary end point were safety, tumor response and complete pathological response (pCR) rate. Results: A total of 20 patients including 17 males and 3 females, of which median age was 65 and 85% were stage III-IVA (AJCC 8th), were included in the study. Of all the patients, 18 patients accomplished 2 cycles of therapy and had safety assessment, 13 patients underwent surgery, 2 patients were waiting for operations and 2 patients achieving partial response rejected surgery and were prepared for radical chemoradiotherapy. Treatment-related adverse events exceeding grade 3 levels included leukopenia 5.6% (1/18), neutropenia 16.7% (3/18), thrombocytopenia 5.6% (1/18), and immune hepatitis 5.6% (1/18). There was no severe surgery-related complication. Objective response rate (ORR) was 70.6% (12/17), and disease control rate (DCR) was 100% (17/17). R0 resection rate was 92.3% (12/13), the pCR rate was 15.4% (2/13), and 61.5% (8/13) of the patients had downstaged to the ypT1-2N0M0 I stage. One patient finally reached a pCR after switching to preoperative chemoradiotherapy because of progression after treatment of chemotherapy and PD-1 inhibitor. Conclusions: Preoperative chemotherapy combined PD-1 inhibitor treatment was well tolerated and had high efficacy in locally advanced operable and potential resectable ESCC. Since the study included some potentially resectable patients with late staging, the pCR rate may be lowered. The further study aims to find the efficient biomarker including PD-L1 expression and CD8+ T cell infiltration. Moreover, well-designed randomized prospective trials for better evidence are required.

A phase II clinical trial of toripalimab combined with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (NEOCRTEC1901)

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT) has been the recommended treatment for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The addition of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor to nCT may improve oncologic outcome and survival. However, high-level evidence of neoadjuvant immunotherapy (nIT) combined with nCT in locally advanced resectable ESCC patients are still lacking. Hence, we describe this randomized controlled trial in order to assess the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant nivolumab in combination with chemotherapy for locally advanced (stage II-III) ESCC patients. This prospective, randomized, multicenter phase II trial aims to enroll 90 locally advanced (stage II-III) ESCC patients who will undergo nivolumab or placebo plus chemotherapy followed by surgery. Patients will be 2:1 randomized to nivolumab/chemo and placebo/chemo group by method of stratified randomization. In both arms, patients who have not achieved complete pathological complete response (pCR) will be administered with adjuvant nivolumab for up to 1 year. The primary endpoint is pCR rate and secondary endpoints include event-free survival (EFS), R0 resection rate, and adverse events (AEs). The safety will be evaluated by AEs, grading by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) 5.0 classifications. The double-blind will be maintained between subjects and investigators until the final unblinding process. This protocol has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Zhongshan Hospital (B2022-004R). This is the first prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial to compare the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy with standard chemotherapy in neoadjuvant treatment for ESCC, also to explore whether adjuvant immunotherapy offers additional benefit in non-pCR patients after nCT with/without immunotherapy and R0 resection. We hypothesize that the pCR rate, R0 resection rate, EFS and OS of the study group (nivolumab/chemo) is significantly better than those of control group. ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT05213312.

Neoadjuvant administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with chemotherapy demonstrated promising efficacy and manageable safety in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This prospective, single-arm, phase 2 study evaluated the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant therapy with camrelizumab plus paclitaxel and nedaplatin for 2-4 cycles in ESCC. Patients with locally advanced stage IIa-IIIb ESCC were enrolled in the study and received camrelizumab (200mg), paclitaxel (155mg/m 2 ), and nedaplatin (80mg/m 2 ) intravenously on day one every 3 weeks. Patients underwent surgery after 2-4 cycles of treatment. The primary endpoint was the pathological complete response (pCR) rate. Secondary endpoints included the major pathological response (MPR) rate, R0 resection rate, tumor regression, objective response rate (ORR), and disease-free survival (DFS). Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor tissues was measured and quantified using immunohistochemistry staining and combined positive score (CPS), respectively. In total, 75 patients were enrolled and received neoadjuvant treatment. Of them, 45 (60%) received two cycles, 18 (24%) received three cycles, and 10 patients (13.3%) received four cycles of neoadjuvant therapy. Ultimately, 62 patients (82.7%) underwent surgery. The patients achieved a pCR of 27.4% (95% CI: 16.9-40.2), an MPR of 45.2% (95% CI: 33.1-59.2), and an ORR of 48.4% (95% CI: 35.5-61.4); all patients had an R0 resection. T and N downstaging occurred in 39 (62.9%) and 19 (30.6%) patients Moreover, patients with CPS ≥10 tended to have enhanced ORR, pCR, and MPR compared to those with CPS <10. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of grade 1-2 occurred in 59 (78.7%) patients, grade 3 TRAEs in four (5.3%), and one patient (1.3%) experienced a grade 4 TRAE. Neoadjuvant camrelizumab combined with chemotherapy showed promising efficacy in locally advanced ESCC, with a manageable safety profile, when administered flexibly in two to four cycles.